Woolacombe Sponsor Shelter Boxes for Burma

Last Updated (Monday, 19 May 2008 08:32)

Thanks to sponsorship by the Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks, the Barnstaple Link Rotary Club have raised thousands of pounds and brought public awareness  to the work of the Rotary - supported Shelterbox charity through their talks to clubs and schools. This, coupled with fundraising in North Devon, has brought shelter to thousands of people caught up in disasters all over the world. Rudi Lancaster, who heads up the family-owned self catering leisure business at Woolacombe, provided  the original funding for the Barnstaple Link Rotary Club to go on the road with their awareness program.

With the recent disaster in Burma, Rudi provided funding to send out another two boxes and visited the club to see what was involved. After showing him the boxes' contents that have helped so many he was given the chance of carrying the box to the next location. "He was impressed, but mentioned he was somewhat surprised by the weight of the box having seen women carrying them on their heads as he staggered to the car giving me a hand", said the Link club president Grahame Davidson.

Rudi's two boxes joined the 1,000 plus that have left from Birmingham airport on a. chartered plane through DHL with clearance to land with the vital aid along with two American search and rescue team members; Rotarian Patrick Olson (Michigan) and David Eby (Nashville) who will replenish the UK team. A four man rotary team on the ground has worked tirelessly with the services to get the aid moving. Cornish fireman Ian Neal (team leader) created a ‘train the trainer' session with the Burmese fire services and authorities and although progress has been slow it has been positive as a ‘people to people' link has been established. The latest delivery of boxes will give shelter to over 10,000 people caught up in the tragedy.