Press release – 10 August 2020
Cornish disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, has announced it will be permanently closing its visitor centre in Truro due to concerns over coronavirus and the financial impact of the pandemic.
Since opening three years ago, the charity has run a thriving visitor experience at Falcon House in Charles street, Truro. In that time, the charity has welcomed over 20,000 visitors through the doors. One of the many highlights was the partnership with Truro School, which saw 550 young people visit the centre to learn about the different types of disaster, weather patterns, and how emergency shelter is vital for rebuilding lives.
ShelterBox Chief Executive Sanj Srikanthan said, “We have enjoyed being a well-loved part of Truro for both visitors to Cornwall and our local community. We are enormously grateful for the support we have received from so many people, from our incredible volunteers and local schools, to Rotary groups, businesses and other organisations, as well as to our President Her Majesty The Queen Consort who opened the centre three years ago.
“However, ShelterBox must take the possible spread of coronavirus very seriously. Our priority must be to protect visitors, volunteers, and our staff as well as considering the safety of the families that we serve around the world. In addition, the reality is that we are unlikely to meet our income expectations for 2020, whilst needs around the world only increase with the additional impact of coronavirus. We must remain focused on our core priorities through these tough times.”
During this new global humanitarian disaster, the vital importance of shelter has been made clearer than ever. The virus is a deadly risk for vulnerable families who have lost their homes to disaster – especially in places like settlements in Syria, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. Emergency shelter can save lives during this pandemic by slowing the spread of the virus. It provides a place to call home, where you can socially distance, wash your hands and share fewer household items with other families.
The closure of the visitor centre is one of a number of measures ShelterBox continues to make to ensure they are working safely and managing costs. Other measures include taking part in the Government’s job retention scheme, reviewing planned projects to ensure a focus on core priorities, leaving some roles vacant and restructuring teams.
Whilst the visitor centre will close, the charity headquarters will remain in Truro.
