ShelterBox to Hold Summer Open Day

This month there is another chance to go behind the scenes at ShelterBox HQ in Helston. Visitors to the summer open day on Saturday 18th August will be given the opportunity to learn how ShelterBox monitors and responds to disasters in every corner of the world.

Event organiser Laura Jepson said: "Despite little coverage in the news, in the first half of 2012 ShelterBox has responded to 11 disasters, including flooding in Peru, landslides in Uganda and recent flooding in Russia. The ShelterBox Open Day is a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of an international disaster relief charity and see how your support makes a difference."

There will be a photo exhibition made up of photos from the charity's response to the devastating Haiti earthquake, the chance to speak to response team members and first hand accounts of life on the ground in the aftermath of a disaster.

For those who don't know the story of how ShelterBox started, charity founder Tom Henderson OBE will be giving a talk about the growth of the organisation from one single green box to a global enterprise.

Visitors will also be able to view the specialist equipment which gets sent out to disaster zones and watch short films from ShelterBox's work in countries like Haiti and Pakistan.

At the last open day in February, ShelterBox welcomed more than 450 visitors and raised about £8,000.

This year's open day is on Saturday August 18 from 10am until 3pm. Refreshments are available, including coffee from ShelterBox's neighbours Origin. Parking is available at the charity's headquarters on the Water-Ma-Trout Industrial Estate and there is disabled access.