THE Truro-based disaster relief charity ShelterBox celebrated its 25th anniversary by attending a special reception at Buckingham Palace last Thursday in the presence of the King and Queen.

The organisation estimates it has helped more than three million people globally – at least 300 people daily – since it was formed in the year 2000. Its dedicated volunteers and staff have supported people uprooted by conflict, the climate crisis, and other disasters in around 100 countries with shelter and other essential items. Their work has spanned Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and North and South America.

Her Majesty The Queen is patron of ShelterBox, and was its president from August 2007 to May 2021. She is currently raising awareness about the fundraising ShelterBox Book Club through her own initiative, The Queen’s Reading Room .

The event highlighting humanitarian efforts was also attended by Cornwall-based television presenter and author Fern Britton, a ShelterBox supporter for many years. “ShelterBox feels like a community-based charity but it is doing something global. It is making a big-time difference and I am very proud to be associated with it,” she said.

Born out of an idea from the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard to reach a few dozen families a year, ShelterBox is now a global community and is project partners with Rotary International. When it launched at the turn of the millennium, the number of people displaced around the world was 40m; it’s now three times that.

Having started out with the green ShelterBoxes that gave the charity its name, it now provides tents and a variety of robust shelters, as well as essential household items, training and cash assistance to enable payment of local tradespeople to repair or rebuild. Responses are tailored to specific needs.

The organisation estimates that 1.2 billion people are at risk of losing their homes to disaster in the next 25 years - one in six of all people alive today. It is putting more effort into anticipating what might happen where and preparing accordingly, the better to respond quickly when major disasters unfold.

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be marking this milestone, but the need for emergency shelter around the world has never been more urgent, and we recognise that our work is not yet done,” said ShelterBox chief executive Sanj Srikanthan.

“While much has changed in 25 years, what remains the same is the people we support are at the heart of what we do. Our supporters and volunteers are driving us forward: giving their time to make a difference to others, raising awareness and funds for people they will never meet.

“As we mark 25 years, we remember the achievements and commitment of our supporters, partners, volunteers and staff, and the quality of the aid we’re able to give because of what we have learned.

“Above all, we hold the resilience and courage of people we serve as we hope to inspire future generations who will continue our work in the next 25 years and beyond.”