The Rt. Hon The Lord Mayor of London, Michael Bear, marked 30 years of partnership between Arup and disaster relief charity RedR at an event held at Arup’s global headquarters in London today.
The Lord Mayor, a trained civil engineer and non-executive director of Arup, visited Arup to help launch a RedR photo exhibition documenting three decades of improving disaster relief. He issued a call for widespread support for his charity appeal ‘Bear Necessities: Building Better Lives’, of which RedR is part.
The Lord Mayor explained why he has chosen to support RedR as part of his Mayoral Appeal: “As a student and in my career in construction and regeneration I have spent time all over the world on charitable and commercial projects which aim to build better lives. Via my appeal, I hope that 4,000 relief workers in more than 25 countries across the world will be trained and supported by RedR. This will improve the lives of thousands of children, parents and their communities devastated by disaster.
“I hope the Lord Mayor’s Appeal can help RedR increase its capacity and ability to respond to disasters worldwide; providing a faster, more effective response to humanitarian crises. I hope the increased exposure the Lord Mayor’s Appeal will give it will help it reach out to new supporters, within the City and across the country.”
Martin McCann, Executive Director of RedR, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Arup for their generous support over the past three decades and to the Lord Mayor Michael Bear for choosing RedR as part of his Mayoral Appeal.
“Every year millions of people around the world are affected by disasters. RedR provides essential training for relief workers to help them respond effectively and save lives. The funds raised through the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and with Arup’s support will be crucial to our work, helping us to assist vulnerable communities in times of crisis.”
Jo da Silva, a Director at Arup has been a RedR Member since 1991: “After a disaster both money and expertise is needed to prevent further loss of life and help people re-build their lives. Engineers play a critical role in ensuring those affected have access to safe shelter, clean water and sanitation; and that roads and bridges are reinstated to allow food and medical supplies to get through. Through RedR, Arup has been able to help directly by seconding staff to humanitarian organisations, as well as raising much needed funds.”
Arup and RedR
Established in1980, RedR UK has grown from a small register of engineers, inspired by one man’s personal experiences of working in a refugee camp in Malaysia, to an international organisation, which has deployed over 2,500 experts to worldwide relief efforts following disasters. It also delivers crucial training for relief workers in the UK and around the world. Arup is a founder member of RedR and has worked in partnership with the charity for 30 years.
Arup supports staff wishing to undertake RedR training to pursue humanitarian aid work. Over the years, RedR placements and training have enabled many Arup engineers to provide help at the scene of disasters such as the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, the Paksitan and Szechuan earthquakes, and the SE Asian tsunami. Many more actively fundraise for RedR.