The Turkuaz Restaurant Leeds: Popular Turkish eatery in Rawdon raises £1250 for Christians In Crisis

The Turkuaz Restaurant, in Rawdon, hosted a Turkish breakfast on Sunday, October 15 inviting the community to come together and raise money for Christians In Crisis.

With nearly 100 people in attendance, the restaurant raised £250 from donations. Trinity Church, in Rawdon, donated a further £1000.

Matthew Chew, manager at The Turkuaz Restaurant, said it was “brilliant” to see the number of people come together, many of whom were from different backgrounds.

He added: “I arranged a piece of music, This Little Light of Mine, for the kids and it was brilliant. I was playing away on the piano and I saw in the background just a really good, strong sense of community.

“There were just a lot of smiles and it was just beautiful to see everyone working together. It was like winding back the clock 50 or 60 years. It was quite moving and quite powerful.”

As part of the Turkish breakfast, the restaurant served börek, a pastry filled with cheese and vegetables. Neighbouring business Croissant D'Or donated pastries for the event too.

Matthew said the restaurant wanted to give back to people, especially during these “hard times”.

He added: “I've just moved to Rawdon about three weeks ago. I have come out of a 10-year marriage and the community of Rawdon has been so welcoming so, for me, it's just about giving back.”