Bexhill Rotary Club donates £1,000 to ShelterBox

At the beginning of this year's football season the club's president-elect John Griffith launched a new competition among the members, designed to bolster the organisation's international fundraising efforts.

For 10 a go, Rotarians and their friends and family were invited to predict the position of each team in the Premiership at the end of the season from first to 20th.

There were 50 entries and so 500 went into the fund.

Roger Heyes, the club's spokesman, said: "At the end of September and within a few days of each other there were two major, international disasters, namely the Samoan tsunami and the Sumatran earthquake so the club membership agreed that this money should be used to provide aid to them both."

Club president Roger Batey made a further contribution by pledging 500 from the "President's Discretionary Fund" and it was therefore decided to send a ShelterBox to each disaster area.

Shelterboxes cost 500 each and were developed by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard nine years ago.

The charity has become the largest Rotary club project in the world with boxes so far having been sent to more than 50 countries in response to at least 80 emergencies including earthquakes, floods and the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

They deliver emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disasters worldwide.

Made of sturdy plastic, a box will supply an extended family of up to 10 people with a light-weight waterproof tent with privacy partitions, insulated and designed to withstand high winds and other extreme weather conditions.

Also contained in the box are thermal blankets, ground sheets, mosquito nets, water purification equipment, wood burning or multi-fuel stove (that burns anything from diesel to old paint), pans, utensils, bowls, mugs, water storage containers, a hammer, an axe, a saw, a shovel, pliers and wire cutters.

For children there are drawing books, crayons and pens.

The box itself can be used for storage or even a baby's cot.

For more information about ShelterBoxes go to www.shelterbox.org.