MORE than £7,500 has been donated by residents and shoppers in Didcot and Chipping Norton for the emergency boxes for victims of the Philippines typhoon.
The collection in Didcot’s Orchard Centre and Didcot’s Tesco on Saturday and Sunday raised £6,218.66 for disaster relief items including tents, first-aid kits and blankets.
And Chipping Norton’s collection raised about £1,300.
Organised by The Rotary Club of Didcot – which is adding £3,000 to the appeal from funds raised at Truck Festival – and The Rotary Club of Chipping Norton, the money will go to emergency relief charity ShelterBox.
Each ShelterBox costs £590 and holds a 10-man tent, bed rolls for 10, a paraffin cooker, pots, tin plates, mugs, water cleansing equipment and can provide a much-needed home for up to 10 people for up to 12 to 18 months.
Member Colin Campbell, who organised the event, said: “I am delighted by the response from the shoppers of Didcot.
“This is the most our members have ever received for a disaster appeal in a weekend.
“As the money raised is going directly to ShelterBox, a Rotary charity, we can be certain the aid will be quickly deployed in the disaster area.”
The effort comes after Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines on November 8, killed more than 2,000 people and left millions homeless.
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