ShelterBox Challenge 2008 - Dartmoor

Four members of the Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper with an average age of over 55 years survived the 2008 Shelterbox Challenge held on Dartmoor on April 26 and 27, 2008.

Despite thick fog and rain on the second day the team completed the two day walking challenge over 33 miles of rugged Dartmoor terrain carrying a 25kg Shelterbox containing everything they needed to survive the Challenge.

"This was the hardest challenge of my life and one that I am unlikely to repeat" said one of the Abingdon Vesper team after the event which finished at the Plume & Feathers Inn at Princetown on Sunday afternoon.

The Shelterbox Challenge is in support of a registered charity, the Shelterbox Trust based in Helston in Cornwall.

The Shelterbox Trust provides IMMEDIATE relief for disaster victims all over the world and can get aid to victims within 48 hours by holding stocks of Shelterboxes in strategic locations throughout the world

A Shelterbox is a rugged container that holds a tent, sleeping blankets, cooking stove and utensils, water purification tablets, mosquito nets and other emergency aid suitable for different climatic conditions for an extended family of up to 10 people to be able to survive for at least 6 weeks.

Since its inception in 2000 Shelterbox has sent its boxes to almost 40 countries and provided emergency accommodation for around 500,000 people.

The Shelterbox Challenge 2008 event raised sufficient sponsorship money to provide shelter for around 7,000 people. A total in the region of £35,000.

The Charity needs more funds to increase the numbers of Shelterboxes available particularly for families without homes, food etc in a number of African countries as a result of famine and civil strife.

If you would like to contribute in any way, please contact The Shelterbox Trust