Events industry charity Meeting Needs has made a donation of £2,000 to the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) on behalf of the UK events industry following the series of devastating earthquakes which have hit Turkey and North-West Syria.

DEC charities and their local partners are among the first responders in the area, working with locally-led relief efforts in Turkey and Syria. Immediate priorities are search and rescue, medical treatment for the injured, shelter for those who have lost their homes, heaters for spaces and winter kits with blankets, and warm clothes, and ensuring people have food and clean water.

Meeting Needs has also launched a match-funded fundraising campaign, where any funds donated will be doubled up to the total of £1,500. Donations can be made here.

Commenting on the initiative, Meeting Needs Chair Chris Peacock said: “Many of us have watched these terrible events unfold, feeling both appalled and powerless to help. Whilst some people may have donated to a cause already, we’d like the events industry to show a united front in this time of urgent need. So for that reason, we will match all donations made up to the target of £1,500 – so  your valuable donation will count twice.”

Up to 30,000 people are believed to have died and many thousands are injured in Turkey and Syria, with numbers expected to rise.