ShelterBox Responds to Japan Earthquake

HESTON, England, March 11, 2011 - UK-based ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity that
provides emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the
world who are affected by disasters, is responding to the 8.9 magnitude
earthquake in Japan.

Based in Cornwall, ShelterBox was one of the first disaster recovery
agencies on the ground after the earthquake in Haiti last year.

An initial ShelterBox Response Team made up of ShelterBox field
operations specialist, Mark Pearson, and ShelterBox international director,
Lasse Petersen, is on its way to Japan to assess the need.

Tom Henderson OBE, ShelterBox founder and CEO, said: 'At present the
scale of the disaster is difficult to measure. What we do know is that the
combination of such a large earthquake followed by the tsunami has the
potential to cause significant damage across the Pacific Rim.

'We have aid pre-positioned locally enabling an immediate response. We
also have extensive experience working in the region responding to similar
disasters.'

Lasse Petersen, ShelterBox international director, said: 'The scenes
we're seeing are catastrophic. Whole homes are being washed away and our
thoughts go out to all the families who are facing this disaster.

'The epicentre was in Japan so our first team is heading there but we
continue to watch very closely the path of the tsunami. We're very aware the
worst may not be over.'

Public donations are vital to ShelterBox's continuing work. To make a
donation please ring +44(0)300-0300-500 or go to www.shelterbox.org to
donate online and get the latest updates on our response to disasters around
the world.

Notes to Editors

About ShelterBox

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides
emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the world who
are affected by disasters. In ten years ShelterBox has responded to
earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, typhoons
and conflict, delivering lifesaving aid to families across the globe at a
time when they needed it the most.

ShelterBox aims to help the areas where the need is greatest by providing
shelter, warmth, comfort and dignity to families in the immediate aftermath
of a disaster. Each big, green ShelterBox is tailored to every disaster but
typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets,
water purification and storage equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic
tool kit, a children's activity pack and other vital items.

From the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, there is
no disaster too big or too small for ShelterBox. Simply put, if there is an
unmet need for emergency shelter, the charity will do everything in its power
to meet that need.

ShelterBox relies entirely on public donations and could not operate
without the generosity of people the world over. A box can be sponsored for
GBP590 - this takes into account the costs of all materials, packing,
storage, transport worldwide and delivery to families most in need at a time
of disaster by a team of highly trained volunteers.

Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at
the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter
for the people who need it most on every continent.

For all the latest information on ShelterBox's work around the world, including ways you can help, please visit www.shelterbox.org ; For more information please contact John Butters, Zoe Ensor or Alex Henshall at Bell Pottinger North on +44(0)1625-506444; For high resolution images either contact Katy Creates on +44(0)1326-569782 or KatyC at shelterbox.org or go to
www.flickr.com/photos/shelterboxuk/sets/ ; ShelterBox disaster experts with specific experience of responding to earthquakes and tsunamis are available to comment - please call
+44(0)1625-506444