BILLERICAY Mayflower Rotarians have dug deep into their funds to spend £2,000 on survival equipment for the victims of the Haiti earthquake disaster.
The money went immediately to be spent on Shelterboxes, the £500-a-time kit each providing a lifeline for a large family. The Rotary-based charity sends the boxes to stricken areas following any major disaster. Within hours of the first earthquake shocks in Haiti the first consignment was on its way in space made available by Sir Richard Branson on his Virgin Atlantic aircraft.
The boxes contain a sturdy tent sleeping 12, tools, a basic stove that will burn anything from diesel oil to wood, the all important water purification equipment and other items tailored to the nature of the victims’ plight.
The Rotarians dug into three different funds to make the payment. They have diverted all of the £1,000 that Round Table donated to the club as a thank-you for helping at November's fireworks display, another £500 from their international fund and a further £500 from their own club housekeeping account.
Mayflower club president Bob Tyrrell said: "The club was moved to find a donation quickly from any funds we already possessed. We just felt we wanted to do something, and speed is of the essence."
The Shelterbox appeal started seven years ago by a Devon Rotarians has been backed by Essex Rotarians through their district organisation. New boxes will either feed into a second wave of support following up the first of hundreds of boxes already sent, or will go into the emergency stockpile for future use.