British Red Cross New Zealand earthquake appeal raises £1m
Howard Lake | 11 March 2011 | News
The British Red Cross appeal to support the New Zealand Red Cross response to last month’s earthquake has raised over £1 million.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake on 22 February 2011 killed more than 160 people and left thousands unable to return to their damaged homes.
Thanking those who had given, Mark Astarita, British Red Cross head of fundraising, said: “The appeal has really been driven both by the large Kiwi expat community in the UK and by British people who feel a special bond with New Zealand because of family links, travel and even sport.”
Large donations have been given by organisations and companies including the Freemasons’ Grand Charity, Bupa and Astra Zeneca.
The New Zealand Red Cross has had almost 100 staff and volunteers from all over New Zealand working in Christchurch, assisted by teams from the Australian Red Cross. Emergency grants are already being planned from the New Zealand Red Cross appeal fund to help people in Christchurch meet their immediate needs.
“This appeal has really underlined the strength of the Red Cross Movement’s international reach,” commented Astarita. “We have been able to help people in the UK support people they care about right on the other side of the world.”
www.redcross.org.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.