Chinese cyclists help with the relief effort

In the West we have, over the last decade, had unprecedented growth and much of this has been fuelled by China’s ability to manufacture cost effectively. We have all enjoyed cheap clothing and electrical goods and this in turn has helped our economy. It is now our turn to give a little back! Here at Polaris we have been working in China for nearly 8 years. Our success is inextricably linked to China, and I guess, indirectly, so is yours. We feel compelled to help and we would like to invite you to join us. We have all seen the devastation caused by the earthquake in China. Every night on the news the story gets worse. I am sure it is hard to know what the final toll will be but the appeal we are sending out is not for the dead but those that are still alive, they are the ones that need your help and prayers. The immediate requests of the Chinese government are for medical supplies, tents and heavy lifting equipment. This may appear ironic when China is probably the largest manufacturers of tents but those tents are not made for themselves – they are sent to Europe and America and at the height of the selling season here, there will be few left in China.

We appeal to the business community in the UK to help in supporting the effort to collect donated and purchased tents and medicines for China’s earthquake zones. The Chinese Embassy and Consulate General will help in making arrangements at the China end to ensure a speedy delivery to the Earthquake area. Our plan is to gather together donations. 75% we will give for immediate use to the fund set up by The Chinese Embassy in London. The other 25% we will give to a Children’s Charity/aid organisation in the area of Beichuan. We are in the process of finding a suitable charity, details of which will be posted on the Polaris website.

We are currently working with a cyclist who lives in Chengdu and currently he and some friends are helping with the relief effort by using their mountain bikes to get to areas where the roads have collapsed. Information from him at the moment is sporadic, however he has been able to send in a couple of reports which put a very personal perspective on the current situation. Here at Polaris we are committing 30% of our retail sales and 10% of our trade sales from now until the end of June to the appeal.