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On behalf of the Rotary Club of Chelwood
Bridge, we would like to express our thanks for your generous response
to Rotary’s Aquabox Appeal for the victims of the Tsunami
in the Indian Ocean.
The response from the local community and from local schools has been
almost overwhelming and my colleagues in Rotary feel this has been one
of the most worthwhile projects that we have ever been privileged to
undertake.
TSUNAMI EARTHQUAKE -
ROTARY AQUABOX APPEAL - UPDATE
Following our Radio
Bristol appeal on New Year's Eve for money to buy Aquaboxes and for
donations of the essential survival items needed to fill the boxes we were
inundated with offers of help.
On New Year's Day, Julia
and Derek Smart opened their business premises in Fishponds, Bristol, as the
initial reception and sorting centre for donated items. The same day
Chelwood Village Hall was made available and by the next morning had been
converted into a virtual 'production line' thanks to the amazing volunteer
help of so many of the village people. This became the main sorting and
packing centre.
On 4 January BBC Points
West filmed the operation generating further publicity for our appeal. A
Midsomer Norton businessman then offered to set up a second sorting and
packing centre a few days later and the District Council made the Old
Council Chamber in the High Street available.
Over the next three
weeks goods donated were sufficient to fill a grand total of 1,981 temporary
aquaboxes and enough money had been received to pay for the first 500
Aquaboxes with their filtration kits and survival bags. During February we
were able to complete the packing of some 750 Aquaboxes for onward
transmission to the Tsunami victims in South Asia. Money donations continued
to be received and we now have sufficient to cover the cost of Aquaboxes for
the remaining 1200 temporary boxes.
This represents a
remarkable outcome and the Rotary Club of Chelwood Bridge would like to
thank everyone that responded by donating money or essential survival items.
We are also very grateful to the volunteers who manned the two 'production
lines' right through to 24 January, and the businesspeople who made gifts of
items we would otherwise have had to buy or provided their services free.
The whole exercise has
shown us and so many people living in our communities what Rotary is capable
of. We also found we had unintentionally helped to bring communities
together with former strangers working cheerfully alongside their neighbours
in the interests of people who had been left destitute on the other side of
the world. As well as individual help and various village community groups
across the Greater Bristol area and beyond, Chew Valley School, all our
local junior schools and a number of others in and around Bristol played a
great part in raising money and collecting items for us.
All in all this was a
tremendous experience and out of extreme adversity much good has been
achieved. Now that the immediate survival needs have been addressed we are
linking with Rotary Clubs in the devastated countries to see how we can
assist with longer-term reconstruction projects.
We were very proud to
have been of service in this way during Rotary's Centenary Year and thank
everyone who helped in whatever way.
Hugo Pike
Operation Aquabox
Co-ordinator
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