TWO restaurants in Buckinghamshire are donating any earnings they make from their Monday and Tuesday bookings towards the Turkey earthquake appeal.

Turkish restaurant owner Turgut Iris is hosting a charity event next week across his two Chanak Restaurants located in Bourne End and Little Chalfont.

He aims to raise £8,000 through bookings and his staff have even decided to work free so he can raise more money for the Turkey and Syria earthquake appeal.

Parts of Turkey and Syria were hit by tragic earthquakes last week with the death toll now reaching over 35,000.

Families have been left devastated at the loss of their loved-ones while the world rallies together to send aid and offer their support following the disaster.

Bucks Free Press: Members of the UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR) team in Hatay, Turkey, looking for survivors of the devastating earthquakes.Members of the UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR) team in Hatay, Turkey, looking for survivors of the devastating earthquakes. (Image: PA)

Buckinghamshire has come together over the last week with kind-hearted residents putting together whatever they can and sending donations including clothes, nappies, tinned food and cash to the earthquake-hit nations.

Chanak Restaurant in Bourne End and Amersham are playing their part as they pledge to donate one hundred per cent of next Monday's and Tuesday's (February 20 and 21) bookings towards the Turkey earthquake appeal.

So far the restaurant has 40 people booked.

Bucks Free Press:

Mr Turgut said: "I'm from Turkey and it’s devasting. Although I'm not affected people are people so I thought I’d do what I can to help.

"Where I come from is 1,500 km away from there but I've been in an earthquake myself. Before I was a rescuer for about four years in 1992, in Turkey. You become senseless for a week, you just have to do.

"It was the beginning of March and it was 8pm and everyone was fully dressed and everything, so it is nothing like this but comparable too so I can sympathise with the people.

"There is a shortage of food now and the area is too big. In Turkey, 14 million people live around there if you think of Manchester anything south of Manchester is a wide scale and that is a problem."

Mr Iris explained how quickly the Bucks community came together to collect donations. 

"Within two hours, Turkish organisations and community centres started collecting so we immediately get all our things together," he said.

"Some people bring shoes, clothing, obviously we bought some. In the Little Chalfont area, residents bought lots of jackets and we took them and within that same evening, I collected them from the restaurant and drove to north London. A truck full went from north London to Turkey that evening."

Visit http://chanak.co.uk/ to book.