Two Peterborough schoolboys who felt 'sad' after Turkey-Syria earthquakes rally football pals to raise £2,000

Two Peterborough schoolboys have raised thousands for the Turkey and Syria earthquake relief effort.

Hisham Farooq and Junaid Javed, Year 6 pupils at All Saints’ Primary School in Dogsthorpe, decided to hold a charity football match for earthquake victims on March 17.

The boys, and a small team of footballers, created posters and had written a letter to all the parents inviting them to the event.

The pair have since raised £2,007, £1,000 of which will travel to Turkey with chairman Shezad Yousaf from Unite 4 Humanity, an aid charity based in Peterborough.

The remaining sum will be given to Children of Adam, via Masjid Darassalaam Mosque on Alma Road, also located in Peterborough.

Nick Brompton, headteacher, said: “We could not be more proud of our whole school community with what they have achieved.

"What makes this so special is that the idea came from two boys who had seen something that made them sad, and wanted to do something to help.

"The whole school community has then supported them from start to finish with their encouragement, participation and generous donations.

"We think this really shows that children can make a real difference to the world around them.”

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey and north-western Syria on 6 February – leading to more than 50,000 people losing their lives.

Its tremor could be felt as far afield as Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.

A second quake, which recorded a magnitude of 7.5, struck just nine hours later.

On 20 March, The European Commission said that it will support Turkey with one billion euros (£875 million) to help with reconstruction in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of the country and neighbouring Syria last month.