Press release – 10 October
Staff and volunteers at the international disaster relief charity ShelterBox welcomed Cornwall’s Lord Lieutenant and his deputies to its headquarters in Truro this week.
The Lord Lieutenant, Sir Edward Bolitho, represents His Majesty King Charles III in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and was keen, along with his deputies, to find out more about how the charity fundraises for, and responds to, crises across the world.
The visit comes after it was announced earlier this year that Her Majesty The Queen would remain Patron of ShelterBox following a review of all patronages.
The charity specialises in emergency shelter and supports people displaced by conflict, extreme weather, and disaster. It’s currently supporting thousands of people uprooted from their homes because of conflict in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.
As well as being given a tour of the headquarters and getting hands on with some of the aid items that the charity distributes around the world, Sir Edward and his deputies also found out more about the charity’s response to severe flooding in Bangladesh.
Sir Edward says: “As Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, I was delighted to visit ShelterBox once again and get an update on the extraordinary work of the charity’s work – and equally pleased that so many of my Deputy Lieutenants were able to come along too.
“The global impact of this brilliant Cornish charity is quite remarkable, as is the work it does to support people around the world who have lost their homes to disaster.
“What stood out was how well prepared they are to respond before a disaster happens and how determined they are to reach people most in need, often responding to crises that fall beneath the news radar.
“Everyone in Cornwall and more widely should be deeply proud of the work of ShelterBox to ensure that no-one is without shelter when disaster strikes.”
The Lieutenancy encourages, supports and brings together organisations and individuals across the public, private and voluntary sector in Cornwall. The Lord Lieutenant is supported by a Vice Lord Lieutenant and up to 37 Deputy Lieutenants, who he appoints from people who have rendered service to the county in a variety of ways.
Sir Edward was joined by 14 of his deputies, who he invited to the visit.
CEO of ShelterBox Sanj Srikanthan says: “It was an honour to welcome the Lord Lieutenant and his deputies to our headquarters as we approach our 25th anniversary next year. Their visit underscores the importance of our mission and the incredible support we receive from the community.
“ShelterBox’s roots in Cornwall are a source of immense pride for us and the support we receive locally has been instrumental in enabling us to extend our reach globally.”
Their Majesty’s The King and Queen, as the Former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, were first introduced to ShelterBox in 2006. While on an official visit to Pakistan, they learnt about the charity’s work supporting families who had lost their homes in the Kashmiri earthquake.
The Former Duchess of Cornwall was President of ShelterBox from August 2007 to May 2021, changing to Patron from May 2021.
As well as its responses in the Middle East, ShelterBox is also working in countries across Africa, like in Cameroon and Somalia.
To find out more about the work of ShelterBox across the world, visit shelterbox.org.
ENDS
For more information contact the press office at ShelterBox via [email protected].
Notes to Editors
- Images from the visit.
About ShelterBox
ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters. With operational headquarters in Cornwall, the charity also has 13 affiliate organisations worldwide. The charity has been Rotary International’s project partner in disaster relief since 2012. ShelterBox has supported almost three million people since it was founded in 2000. www.shelterbox.org
