ShelterBox soars at Newquay Cornwall Airport

Monday 12th October, 2009

International disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, has soared into action with the help of the high-flyers at Newquay Cornwall Airport.

500 ShelterBox disaster relief tents were incredibly packed and shipped in less than 24 hours – flying out from Newquay Cornwall Airport for the first time since the aerodrome transferred from MoD to Cornwall Council control. Thanks to the tremendous support from the airport, tents and ShelterBoxes were packed onto a UN plane on Wednesday, October 7 before taking off for West Africa.

The tents and ShelterBoxes have now arrived in Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso and will be providing emergency shelter for up to 5,000 people. These people lost their homes during the worst flooding to hit Burkina Faso in living memory. In total, close to 150,000 people in Ougadougou were affected by the floods at the start of September.

ShelterBox has been attempting to deliver aid to Burkina Faso for the past four weeks. This has finally been made possible with the help from the UN and the support from Newquay Cornwall Airport. ShelterBox and Newquay Cornwall Airport staff worked through the night to ensure all the tents and boxes complied with airport security regulations. The aircraft, a Russian Antonov AN12, was then loaded with the 15 tonnes of aid by ShelterBox and the Bluewatch fire crew based at Newquay Cornwall Airport.

ShelterBox Founder and CEO Tom Henderson said: “This is another incredible first for ShelterBox. We’re absolutely delighted to have been able to pull this off in such a short time scale and we couldn’t have done so without the commitment and dedication of the team at Newquay Cornwall Airport.

“It was a case of all hands on deck, from the fire service based at airport to our own volunteers, to make sure this much needed aid made it onto the plane. Thanks to these outstanding efforts across the board, 5,000 people will now have shelter.”

ShelterBox Response Team member Tom Lay, who assessed the situation in Burkina Faso at the start of September and returned there on the plane with the aid, said: “In all my time at ShelterBox the flood damage in Burkina is the worst I’ve ever seen. The people affected will now have the shelter that they’ve desperately needed and we couldn’t have done it without the UN or Newquay Cornwall Airport.”

Speaking from Burkina Faso on Thursday, October 8, Tom Lay added that there will be people in the tents by the end of the day – just 48 hours after the boxes were packed.

A spokesperson from Newquay Cornwall Airport said: “We are delighted to have been able to help and at such short notice. It was great to see so many volunteers ensuring the boxes were placed on the aircraft in a timely manner and all for a very good cause. We look forward to working with Shelterbox again to help ship much needed supplies around the world.

– Ends -

For more information about ShelterBox please contact: Tommy Tonkins on 01326 569782 or tommyt@shelterbox.org

NOTES TO EDITOR

About ShelterBox

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity and a global Rotary club project, which exists to provide humanitarian aid worldwide in the form of shelter, warmth and dignity for people displaced by natural and other disasters.

An initiative of Rotarian Tom Henderson, a former Royal Navy search and rescue diver, ShelterBox started in 2000 as a project of the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard, Cornwall. ShelterBox, now the largest Rotary Club project in the world, has raised over £25 million and responded to over 80 major disasters including the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma) and has operated in 57 countries.

Each ShelterBox contains a 10-person tent, blankets, water purification and cooking equipment, basic tools, a stove and other essential equipment. Every box is individually numbered and can be tracked by donors. Each box costs (UK: £490) – including the cost of all materials, packing, storage, transport worldwide and distribution to the needy. Best value is achieved by working closely with leading suppliers, all items being obtained at below trade price. Assuming six month’s use, this equates to shelter and warmth for less than 30 pence per person per day.

All aid delivery is undertaken by international volunteer ShelterBox Response Team members who have carried out extensive training with ShelterBox. By working with local Rotary clubs in the countries where disasters have occurred, ShelterBox is often able to get aid where it is needed faster than any other organisation.

About Newquay Cornwall Airport

Cornwall Airport Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cornwall Council, which assumed operational management of Newquay Cornwall Airport on 1 April 07, gained its CAA licence on 18 December 2008 after completing its transition project to convert the airfield from military to civilian operations.

In 2008, Newquay Cornwall Airport was the fastest growing regional airport in the UK and 12th fastest growing airport in Europe. Newquay-London Gatwick is the fastest growing domestic route in the UK. Recent passenger survey results reported 96% satisfaction, as quantified in Newquay Cornwall Airport passenger surveys summer 2009.

This winter, the Airport will offer 11 destinations throughout the UK, Ireland and the EU, operated by three airlines:

Air Southwest: Bristol, Cork, Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, London Gatwick, London City Airport, Manchester, Newcastle, Grenoble

Skybus: Isles of Scilly

Flybe: London Gatwick

For summer 2010, Newquay Cornwall Airport already has 16 routes confirmed with 6 airlines:

Air Southwest: Bristol, Cork, Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, London Gatwick, London City Airport, Manchester, Newcastle

bmibaby: Manchester, East Midlands Airport

Falcon Travel: Zurich charter

Flybe: Edinburgh, London Gatwick

Lufthansa: Dusseldorf

Skybus: Isles of Scilly

Jet2.com: Belfast International

Ryanair: tbc

Hi-res photography available on request.