Members of the Rotary Club of Royston have reacted immediately to donate much-needed aid to the Philippines disaster fund.

In less than a week more that £1,000 has been raised to provide victims of the disaster area with shelter boxes and life straws.

Paul Bolton, chairman of the club’s international committee, said: “Our international programme for the year, and maybe years to come, could be dominated by this terrible event.

“We need to recognise this as the largest single emergency in recent years – and the Rotary Club of Royston is determined to respond.”

Mr Bolton said he would be asking the club to support an increase in its international rolling budget to ensure that more aid is sent to the Philippines.

He added, however: “At the same time we have to remember we still have responsibilities to the charities we said we would help before this disaster.”

Club president Ray Munden said: “I am so proud of our club’s incredibly rapid response to this disaster. Shelter boxes and life-straws are genuinely life-saving.”

Money for the shelter box – the cost is £590 each - came from the club’s international fund while almost £700 was raised from a charity curry night held at the Ashiana Spice restaurant in Royston on Thursday evening (14 November).

This included donations from the restaurant, staff and clients of Royston accountants Hardcastle Burton and the Duxford-based company Iceni Waters.

To help raise money for the disaster fund the club has set up a donation hotline on its website at www.justgiving.com/Royston-ShelterBoxes.

Club members Chris Hardy said: “We would like to be sending more shelter boxes and people can help us in the most immediate way by using the website. Every penny goes into buying life-saving equipment.”

Donations can be sent too by a text message from a mobile phone by using texting RRTF90 £5 to 70070.

Shelter boxes provided survival equipment including a waterproof tent, bedding, cooking utensils and other essential survival equipment.

Life-straws are used to ensure that water is clean for drinking and will prove vitally important for these effected by the disaster.