The Rotary Club of Tenby has recently purchased a further two shelter boxes to bring up to six the total number purchased by the club since the beginning of 2007. The 'Shelter Box' charity is the brainchild of Rotarian Tom Henderson, a former Royal Navy search and rescue diver, and was adopted by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in Cornwall. It was registered as a charity in 2000 and since then has sent thousands of the boxes as emergency aid from the headquarters in Cornwall to more than 60 emergencies in over 40 countries around the world. Every box costs £490 and contains a tent, sleeping bags, cooking utensils and other necessities to provide emergency survival needs for a family of 10 people. David Glover, of Shelter Box, recently gave a presentation of their work at the South Wales Rotary District Council meeting in Hirwaun, and treasurer of the Rotary Club of Tenby, Don Ramsay, on behalf of the Tenby club, presented David with a cheque to purchase a further two boxes following the recent disasters in Burma and China. David has advised the Tenby club that the boxes they have purchased in the past two years have been sent to Islamabad Pakistan, Bolivia, Nakura Kenya, Quito Bolivia with the last two now on their way to Burma and China. In total, Rotary have now sent 2,000 disaster boxes to China, with support coming from Rotary Clubs from all over the world to Shelter Box's Cornwall base. Despite reports in the press of difficulties in distributing aid in Burma and China, Rotary have been able to utilise local Rotarians on the ground in the affected areas, such as the Rotary Club of Beijing to ensure that aid reaches the affected areas. For more information on Shelterbox visit http://www.shelterbox.org">www.shelterbox.org
