Long walk to provide shelter

The gold-coin registration fees people paid to do the inaugural Blenheim River Walk will go a lot further than the 4km they negotiated to Brayshaw Park.

Organised by Blenheim Rotary, the walk helped promote the annual Heritage Day at Brayshaw Park, rekindled the spirit of the once-popular Marlborough Walk and raised money for Rotary's ShelterBox project. ShelterBoxes are a Rotary International initiative, providing immediate relief to victims of natural disaster.

A ShelterBox and its contents were displayed at Brayshaw Park yesterday and a tent like the one each contains was on display.

Blenheim Rotary vice president Ross Frater and member Clive Harragan said the supplies in the shelterbox allowed families to stay together for at least six months after a major disaster. Within that time, other assistance would be found, it was hoped.

Rotary Clubs in New Zealand must raise $1500 for each ShelterBox and in the past three years the two clubs in Blenheim have sent 15 to Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia and Samoa.

Rotary International has sent 5000 ShelterBoxes to victims made homeless after the massive earthquake in Haiti on January 12.

"There's a lot of different aid agencies asking for money," Mr Frater acknowledged yesterday. "And it's hard to decide which ones to support."

Rotary Clubs liked the immediately practical assistance the ShelterBoxes provide, he said. Each one contained a 10-person tent, 10 sleeping bags, a multi-fuel cooker, bowls and ancillary equipment such as water purification tables, mosquito net, spade, tool kit and a children's activity pack. Food and clothing for the victims using the tent would come from other aid agencies.

- The Marlborough Express