£2,500 Raised for ShelterBox

It began with a flurry of emails round Council members, initiated by International team leader Tim J.   Actually, that’s not true. It began with a monstrous earthquake that desolated an area of Turkey and Syria, where right from the beginning the death toll was being counted in thousands, has now exceeded 50,000, and is still rising.

The emails raised the idea of a street collection to aid victims of the earthquake. It was followed rapidly by a discussion at the “Lite Bites” Rotary meeting where there was good support. This wasn’t really surprising. Wadebridge Rotary has reached for the buckets for many disasters over the years. A further email proposed that we apply for a street collection licence for the following Saturday (18th Feb) immediately, in advance of a formal decision – no harm done if we should decide not to go ahead.

Council members gathered early before the next Thursday meeting to agree to the collection (unanimous) and decide who was going to do what. We also agreed that ShelterBox should receive the funds. We were all set, just awaiting confirmation of the licence from Nigel, who was fashionably late. “Licence?  What licence?” he said on arrival. For a moment he had us going, but then admitted that he did, indeed, have the licence. “It wasn’t easy, though,” said Nigel. “They said I ought to be applying four weeks in advance.”   We reckoned that if Wadebridge Rotary could predict earthquakes that far in advance, we’d have better ways of saving lives than a street collection.

On the Saturday morning, Kevin arrived with two card/contactless readers, two posters and six empty 2-litre pop bottles. Nigel’s van drove up Molesworth Street with not only Nigel and Liz, but also the gazebo and feather flags. Sadly, though, the A-frame notice board with its weather-proof covers could not be found in the lock-up.

We filled the empty bottles with water at The Granary to provide weights for the gazebo and, by judicious positioning, the feather flags. We borrowed a small table from the Granary and stapled the posters to it.  Kevin started up the card readers, which always take a couple of minutes while they connect for the first time in the day. We were set.

Did I mention the drizzle? 

Just as we erected the gazebo, we were enveloped by a fine drizzle. Standing outside, you hardly noticed it, but then you saw the water running off your coat. This was not good news for the posters. Having expected the comfort of a weather proof A-frame, they were not laminated. On one side of the table the poster remained relatively dry and intact. The other side caught the wet, drifting in under the gazebo and, shall we say, did not remain intact.

The more serious effect of the drizzle was to keep people indoors. Molesworth Street remained quiet all through the morning. Those who were there, however, were magnificently generous. We collected £886.59, with half a dozen £20 notes and numerous tens and fives. In reply to our Facebook post, ShelterBox said: “Thank you all for your tremendous support at the collection and to the generous folk of Wadebridge! Great work.”

That was not the end of the story, though. By the next meeting five days later, Rotary members and ladies from the former Inner Wheel had increased the amount to just over £1,500. Then the Council agreed to make it up to a nice round £2,500.  

ShelterBox was quickly in the earthquake area, supplying emergency tents, thermal blankets, children’s winter coats, etc. from their stores around the world, well before our money could get to them. Our donation will support them in continuing to help in Turkey and Syria, and replenish the stores so that they can react to the next disaster. Which there will be, sometime. If you missed our collection, you can donate on-line directly at https://shelterbox.org.

Report by Kevin Smith   Photos courtesy of Trevor Wiltshire