Photos and video: Rotary Club of Burgess Hill donates £10,933 to Water Survival Box charity

The club said the achievement was celebrated at a meeting with Graham Robinson and Hugo Pike, the charity’s trustees.

The Rotary Club of Burgess Hill & District said they wanted to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2020 by raising funds to purchase 70 water survival boxes – one for each year she had been on the throne.

They ended up funding 73 boxes through events like charity quizzes at the Woolpack Pub (Howard Avenue), a charity golf day at Dyke Golf Club, a Movember moustache event, and other individual donations.

Annemarie van Bochove Allen, of the Rotary Club, said (in a video interview with photographer Eddie Mitchell): “The water survival boxes will go out to a country where there is a need for fresh and clean water and will work for at least five years, providing clean water for a family. So it’s hugely important and part of the work we do in the Rotary Club.”

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Lady Emma Barnard, HM Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex, sent a congratulatory letter to the club.

The Water Survival Box is based in Radstock and is an initiative of the Rotary Club of Chelwood Bridge. It aims to provide clean water for families affected by natural or man-made disasters, having started during the 2004 Asian Tsunami. The Rotary Club said a £150 water survival box can provide a family of 5 with 100 litres of water daily for five years. Visit watersurvivalbox.org.

A club spokesperson said: "The Rotary Club of Burgess Hill & District, which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, is part of the longstanding international Rotary organisation. Our diverse group, with members ranging from 40 to 90, convenes weekly for meals at local pubs, breakfast meetings with guest speakers, or virtual Zoom meetings.”

They said: “Locally, the club engages in fundraising activities that support diverse causes such as peace promotion, youth education and empowerment, disease prevention, and relief efforts. Initiatives include quiz nights, golf tournaments, car boot sales, and Christmas events. Notable charity recipients include St Peter and St James Hospice, Burgess Hill Community Orchard, Girl Guides of Burgess Hill, Air Ambulance, and local schools.”