Speaker - Gareth Rees

At what may prove to be the last meeting for some time of our Rotary club at the West House Hotel Rotarian Gareth Rees gave a full report on the changing nature of the ShelterBox charity.   Established originally by the Rotary Club of Truro the charity was initially designed to provide boxes of useful equipment for people whose homes had been devastated by war or natural disaster. Boxes of help could be stored in a warehouse in Truro ready to be dispatched anywhere in the world when suddenly needed.

 More recently the charity has helped large numbers of displaced people in such countries as Nigeria, Chad and Cameroons.  ShelterBox now works with local charities and organisations to provide specific items in bulk such as water filters, mosquito nets and portable light boxes;  the latter can also be used to charge mobile phones. As a sign of the times Gareth Rees said that the charity was now responding to requests for help in the current Coronavirus epidemic.

President  Anthony Pugh thanked Gareth for a fascinating talk and congratulated him on the work he is doing in support of this much needed charity.