However it was caused, people - men, woman and children were killed or trapped under tons of rubble.
"We are so lucky not to experience or live through such horrendous and simply unimaginable circumstances" quoted Stuart Gibbons, managing director of Le Mark Group including the Dirty Rigger work glove brand. "However, my parents and in particular my mother, did live through the London Blitz of 1940/41, I have never forgotten the stories I was told as a child."
Watching people scrabble through rubble with their bare hands, Gibbons realised Le Mark could, in a very small way, help.
Having recently decided to 'write off' very early production work gloves for aesthetic and minor faults, the decision was made to offer these gloves to a disaster relief charity, but to who and how? A very quick Google showed that the international disaster & emergency agency ShelterBox would be the people to contact.
ShelterBox is a Cornwall-based charity that responds rapidly to help families made homeless by natural or manmade disasters. It provides tents and other equipment, often having to work where damaged buildings or vegetation have to be cleared, so its response teams are very grateful for the donation of strong work gloves.
Leanne Baker, Le Mark Head of UK Sales made contact with Shane Revill of ShelterBox, and the rest as they say is history.
(Jim Evans)
