Earthquake: Myddelton College song for Turkey victims

Myddelton College headmaster Andrew Allman, sixth formers Ekin and Zeynep and school parent and musician Ed Brookes

A school has released a song supporting victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria which claimed the life of a 17-year-old friend of a sixth former.

Zeynep, 18, a student at Myddelton College, in Denbigh, said her friend was killed in the Turkey earthquake.

She said her friend had escaped the first tremor but had gone back to look for her family and belongings.

"Friends were messaging me at about 7am," she said.

"My friend messaged me to say that she hadn't heard from her parents after the first earthquake and was going to look for them only to be caught up in the second tremor and they are all believed to have died," said Zeynep.

"She was only 17 and she was lost too."

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Another student at the school, Ekin, 17, has also been affected by the tragedy.

Ekin's family live in Mersin, 60 miles west of the epicentre of the quake near the city of Kahramanmaraş, and had their home in a high rise hit by the tremors which registered 7.8 and 7.7 on the Richter scale.

"My parents live in a modern high-rise in Mersin and it was shaking in the earthquakes which were massive," said Ekin.

"Mersin is a really modern city so the buildings are new and my parents' home has been checked and it's OK."

Singer Sioned Terry recording at Myddelton College with pupils

In support of their students affected, the school has come together, along with singer Sioned Terry and musicians in Madagascar, to perform a song to raise money for the victims of the disaster.

Ed Brookes, a parent at the school, makes up musical duo Brothers Abide, with his brother Pete.

As the death toll rose towards 50,000, Ed worked with staff and pupils at the school to put together a recording of their Song of Hope ('Til We Can Run) for Turkey and Syria.

The song was originally written by the brothers after they lost their mother during the coronavirus pandemic, but has now taken on a new meaning.

Mr Brookes said: "The piano version is so much more emotive. As the children started to sing, I just broke down, I was bawling. It's amazing.

"When this happened, Zeynep and Ekin were upset so we wanted to do something. I sat down with the headmaster and we have worked out a plan which we hope will raise as much money as possible."

Song of Hope has been uploaded to YouTube and social media and has been played on local radio stations.