THOUSANDS of pounds have been raised by the region's Nepalese and Gurkha community for the victims of the devastating earthquake.

Gurkha recruits are brought to North Yorkshire to complete their infantry training at Catterick Garrison before moving on to join regiments across Britain. Many of the villages the British Army traditionally recruits from, in the Gorkha district west of Kathmandu, have been badly affected by the disaster – if not completely destroyed.

An online Go Fund Me page set up by the British Gurkhas and Nepalese Community (BGNC) in Catterick Garrison has so far raised about £6,900.

The amount includes donations from a street collection held in Darlington on Saturday (May 3), which raised more than half the amount so far donated. The collection was led by Lieutenant (retired) Amarsign Thapa, who served 23 years with Gurkha regiment.

Also fundraising on Saturday were Gurkhas from 2 Signals Regiment based at Imphal barracks in York, who collected donations in the centre of the city.

Warrant officer Suresh, from 2 Signals said most Gurkha families had experienced some form of devastation:.

“My parents are back in Nepal. They are fine but their house is damaged. However, it’s difficult to speak to them," he said.

“A lot of the boys here they have their villages completely wiped out. That’s why we’re helping with the collections. It’s going to take a long time to rebuild the country.”

Dr Jagannath Sharma, from Colburn, a member of BGNC and a physiotherapist at Catterick Garrison’s Infantry Training Camp said few would compare the loss of Nepal’s historic treasures to the human misery wrought by the earthquake, but he said the loss of such a huge amount of the country’s heritage and buildings was also distressing.

Sites damaged include Kathmandu’s Swayambhunath Stupa, one of Nepal’s most sacred and well-known religious sites, recognisable by its golden spire painted with blue-rimmed eyes which overlooks the Himalayan foothills.

Dr Sharma said nearly 80 per cent of historic landmarks in seven monument zones declared as World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu Valley alone have been damaged.

“It's hard to describe how painful this is,” he said. “These are not just monuments, they are part of our daily life. It feels like losing part of your family.”

He added: “The damage to these sites is not just a huge loss for Nepal, it's a huge loss for humanity. People come from all over the world to see these. But they're not just tourist attractions to us. If we lose them, we lose a sense of our past.”

To donate to the Catterick fundraising, visit: www.gofundme.com/t6ahx3b