30 December 2004 - City sets up appeal fund to aid victims of tsunami disaster

The Portsmouth Appeal Fund has been established with the backing of Lord Mayor Jason Fazackarley, Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, and the three political group leaders on the council - Gerald Vernon-Jackson (Liberal Democrat), Andrew Storey (Conservative) and Jim Patey (Labour).

It plans to contact its neighbouring local authorities Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Hampshire to see if they want to support the appeal.

It also plans to contact its twin cities in Caen (France) and Duisburg (Germany). Around 1,000 German tourists and hundreds of Britons are missing or still unaccounted for in the disaster.

Next week, when schools and many businesses return to work after the festive break, the council plans to contact commerce to further boost the appeal and encourage the city's 70 state schools to get involved too.

In a statement issued on behalf of the council, Cllr Fazackarley, said: "Our hearts go out to everyone caught up in this dreadful tragedy.

"Residents have already come in to the Civic Offices asking if the council is planning to do anything. So we already know that many people want to help in some way as, like us, they feel so powerless to help watching the shocking images from their televisions.

"Historically, the people of this city many of whom have experienced hardship in times of international crisis have responded incredibly generously to appeals.

"Portsmouth is also a coastal city which has some experience of flooding though there is clearly no comparison as this has obviously been on a minute scale compared to what has happened in Asia. But we can fully empathise in our own small way.

"There have also of course been British victims. This is a tragedy which has touched everyone around the world and we feel that many of our residents will want to do what they can to help."

Cllr Hancock, who is also the city's Executive Member for Planning, Regeneration and Economic Redevelopment, said: "I'm grateful to have all-Party support for the Portsmouth Appeal Fund. The rebuilding of the area hit by the tsunami is important to all and must be a long-term global commitment.

"We know that Portsmouth area people have been caught up in the disaster and residents have asked us what we are doing to help and what they can do to help. We are responding positively to those requests from the community and I am sure that the community will respond positively to us in the same way."

From tomorrow, (Fri Dec 31), donors will be able to hand over cash or cheques to any Portsmouth City Council area housing office, branch library or to the Civic Offices. A full list of payment centres will be announced tomorrow.

Cheques should please be made payable to the "Portsmouth Appeal Fund."

The money will be given to the international charity UNICEF and other relief agencies.