Just hours after the launch of the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, the Skipton Group has pledged £55,000 in vital funding to support urgent relief efforts.
The donation comprises of £50,000 from Skipton, the UK’s 4th largest building society together with £5,000 from Skipton Business Finance (SBF). SBF is the Skipton Group’s asset-based lending division.
Skipton Building Society has also opened its doors to anyone wanting to donate to the appeal. People can simply pop into any of Skipton’s branches across the UK or call the Society’s Skipton Direct team on 0345 850 1722 to donate money into a dedicated account set up for the Earthquake Appeal.
People can also donate by bank transfer with the following details:
- Sort Code: 20-78-91
- Account number: 70798924
- Reference: 920168570
In the early hours, at about 4 am local time, on 6th February 2023, the devastating earthquake with 7.8 magnitude struck southeast Turkey and northern Syria. After the earthquake, there have been 42 aftershocks, the largest of which was 6.6 magnitude. A second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude, independent from the first earthquake, hit at 13:24 local time in the Elbistan district of Turkey's Kahramanmaras province.
At the time of issuing this press release the number of people believed to have died following the earthquakes now stands at over 17,000.
Stacey Dickens, Skipton’s Head of ESG, said:
“We’ve all watched on in horror at the unimaginable loss and destruction caused by these devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria. Across the Skipton Group we want to help with the rescue and relief efforts and so have donated £55,000 to get much needed aid to those poor people and families who so desperately need help. We’ve also opened up our branches and call centre for anyone wanting to also donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal – simply call us or pop into any UK Skipton branch to make your donation.”
For more information or to find your nearest Skipton Building Society branch, visit our Branch Finder page.
For further information, please visit the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.