HRH The Princess Royal welcomes the IET as a new Patron to the leading disaster relief charity RedR

Last night HRH The Princess Royal welcomed the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) as a new RedR Patron at an anniversary reception marking 30 years of improving disaster relief worldwide.

The reception, held at St James’s Palace, was attended by more than 160 guests, including RedR Patrons, corporate supporters, business leaders, academics, RedR Trustees, Vice Presidents and members.

Opening the reception, RedR Chief Executive Martin McCann thanked everyone for their help by saying: “Support for RedR is support for the whole disaster relief sector. Our work is rooted in building professionalism, skills and experience; a philosophy understood by all businesses.

The evening began with a film celebrating the organisation’s achievements over the last 30 years, followed by speeches from Martin McCann, Terry Hill (Chair of the Transport Market, Arup) and HRH.

Presenting certificates to each of the new Patrons, HRH said: “Before, during and after a disaster, RedR needs the support of its Patrons. Independence of funding is vital to be able to do what we know we need to do. It is a pleasure to welcome the new Patrons on RedR’s 30th Anniversary.”

Nigel Fine, IET Chief Executive, commented: “As the largest engineering institution in Europe, I am delighted that the IET is now a Patron of RedR. Chartered Engineers and Engineering Technicians play a central role in helping communities recover from natural disasters. I look forward to both our organisations working together to ensure that IET members around the world play a central role in these challenges.”

The event also included and a Q&A session with RedR Founder Peter Guthrie and RedR Member and Cluster Project Coordinator Cheryl McDonald. Peter and Cheryl responded to questions from the audience about their personal experiences of working in humanitarian relief.

Ends

Notes to editors:

– The IET is Europe’s largest professional body of engineers with 150,000 members in 127 countries.

– The IET dates back to 1871 and has offices in Europe, Asia and the US.

– For more information, visit www.theiet.org.

– RedR is an international charity that improves the effectiveness of disaster relief, helping save and rebuild the lives of people affected by disaster worldwide. RedR do this by delivering essential training and support to relief organisations and their staff, and by providing skilled professionals to humanitarian programmes. Their work enables both local and international relief workers to react to the needs of those affected by disaster, efficiently and safely.

Media enquiries to:
Robert Beahan, Press Officer
T: +44 (0)1438 767336
M: +44 (0)7595 400912
E: rbeahan@theiet.org