Virgin Atlantic is flying much-needed aid along with key medical personnel, aid agency workers and rescue teams to the region in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. The aid and personnel will be flown out on a number of Virgin Atlantic flights to Miami, Orlando and Jamaica over the coming days. From there the aid agencies will arrange for the essential supplies to be transferred to Haiti. The airline has already committed to flying a minimum of 55 tonnes of cargo. Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, commented;

"Everyone who has seen the sheer destruction in Haiti over the last few days will have been moved to help in any way they can. Virgin Atlantic and our foundation Virgin Unite, have been liaising with organisations working on the relief effort with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help deliver much-needed aid to the region.

"We will fly in as much aid as possible so that the agencies on the ground can respond to the needs of everyone in Haiti whose lives have been devastated by this tragedy."

Amongst the aid being flown to the region is hundreds of ShelterBoxes which will help to meet the pressing and immediate need of providing shelter for thousands on the island. Each ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for up to 10 people, a stove, blankets and other items essential for survival. These boxes will be distributed through international volunteer ShelterBox Response Team members who work with local aid agencies on the ground to deliver emergency shelter to those in greatest need.

ShelterBox Founder Tom Henderson said:

"Our team around the world are doing all they can to ensure aid reaches the people of Haiti as soon as possible. With each day the need grows and we’re doing everything to get help to the thousands of families affected by this tragedy. The response from our volunteers and supporters has once again been sensational. We can’t do this without the public’s compassion and generosity. Virgin Atlantic has really pulled out all the stops for us and we're incredibly grateful for their support."

Virgin Atlantic is also working with a number of other charities, including Save the Children and Oxfam, to assist them in their efforts to get crucial aid supplies and personnel to the region.

Matthew Wingate, Senior Emergencies Advisor from Save the Children, commented;

"The people of Haiti have experienced a huge crisis. Around three million affected people urgently need relief, otherwise they will face even greater suffering through lack of shelter, food shortages, and disease outbreak in the coming weeks. Save the Children knows that children are the worst affected - and we're especially worried about those young children who are separated from their families with no one to care for them."

All money raised through Virgin Atlantic’s onboard collection between 16-24 January will be donated to our long-term charity partner, Free the Children, for their work for those affected in Haiti.

You can donate to the rescue efforts at www.dec.org.uk/

For further information please contact the Virgin Atlantic Press Office on 01293 747373 or log onto www.virginatlantic.com

For further information on Virgin Unite please contact Charlotte Goodman - charlotte.goodman@virginunite.co.uk

For further information on ShelterBox please contact John Caulcutt on 07767 493394.

For interviews with emergency workers in Haiti and with Save the Children's UK emergency team in London (who have experience of working in Haiti) please contact the media office: 0+44 207 021 6841 or out of hours on +44 7831 650 409. Photos are also available.

Notes to Editors:

VIRGIN UNITE

Virgin Unite is the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group. We unite people to tackle tough social and environmental problems in an entrepreneurial way. Our aim is to help revolutionise the way businesses and the social sector work together - driving business as a force for good. This is based on the belief that this is the only way we can tackle the scale and urgency of the challenges facing the world today. Virgin Unite’s overheads are covered by Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Group; meaning that 100% of additional donations received, go direct to the frontline where they are needed most.

SHELTERBOX

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity specialising in emergency shelter provision. Humitarian aid is delivered in iconic green ShelterBoxes. Each one contains a disaster relief tent for up to 10 people, a stove, blankets and other items essential for survival. ShelterBox responds to disaster as quickly as possible with the aim of helping the people who are most in need.

Every box is individually numbered and can be tracked down by donors. Each box costs £490 - including the cost of all materials, packing, storage, transport worldwide and distribution to the needy. Assuming six months’ use, this equates to shelter and warmth for less than 30 pence per person per day.

THE DISASTERS EMERGENCY COMMITTEE (DEC)

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is an umbrella organization, which launches and coordinates the UK’s National Appeal in response to major disasters overseas. The DEC was originally set up by a group of aid agencies back in 1963 and brings together a unique alliance of Britain’s aid corporate, public and broadcasting sectors to rally the nation’s compassion and ensure that funds raised go to the right places.

SAVE THE CHILDREN

Save the Children is on the ground and already responding to the needs of children and their families, whose lives have been devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. We have an ongoing programme in Haiti of 160 staff with expertise in health, food security, education and child protection work. We also have experiencing of responding to past emergencies in Haiti, including the hurricanes in 2008. We have additional emergency response experts travelling to Haiti at the moment, to boast our capacity in-country. We are already distributing urgently needed essential supplies such as hygiene supplies to help keep people healthy, bedding and blankets and cooking equipment - and we will be up-scaling our activities in the coming days.