Press Office

SKIPTON GUERNSEY SPONSORS THE MINES AWARENESS TRUST

Skipton Guernsey Limited (SGL) has just announced that it is sponsoring the Guernsey-based Mines Awareness Trust (MAT), a charity dedicated to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance around the world.

Skipton Guernsey's support takes the form of a three year sponsorship of the MAT newsletter ‘All Clear', which is used to communicate with regular donors, educating and updating them on the work of MAT and its fundraising efforts.

Alan Bougourd, Managing Director, SGL says of the sponsorship, “We are delighted to be able to help a local charity with such vital work. From our dealings with MAT, we understand that the education programme they run is the cornerstone of their approach to saving lives and limbs. It is our hope that by supporting All Clear, which is produced three times a year, we will be able to contribute in some way to helping those affected around the world.”

MAT was formed in May 1999 by local resident Ben Remfrey as a direct response to the war in Kosovo. Having witnessed ordinary people suffering at the hands of landmines and unexploded ordnance, he was concerned about them returning to their homes after the conflict had ended. He realised that with the right education they could start rebuilding their lives without the threat of being maimed or killed.

It is currently estimated that there are over 90 countries in the world with a significant problem with landmines as well as unexploded ordnance and around 15,000 – 20,000 casualties a year from landmines. This equates to approximately two new casualties every hour of every day – sadly, nearly half of these are children. However, this is probably only 40% of the problem as many incidents happen in rural areas, far from the nearest hospital and so go unreported. This casualty statistic also does not take into account those maimed or killed by unexploded ordnance.

An area of usable land the size of France and Germany combined is contaminated - this is land that was predominately used for subsistence farming, but is now denied to ordinary people. This, of course, increases people's reliance on aid. MAT is currently working in Kosovo, western Uganda and Sri Lanka, where it is involved in the training of mine detection dogs.

The Trusts's Patron is H.E. The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey – Lt.Gen Sir John Foley, KCB, OBE, MC – and Chairman, Major-General Griff Caldwell, OBE, MC.

For further information the work of the Mine Awareness Trust visit www.mineawareness.org or telephone 00 44 (0) 1481 233780.

For more information on Skipton Guernsey Limited, telephone 00 44 (0) 1481 737274 or visit www.skiptonguernsey.com.

Editor's Notes

Skipton Guernsey Limited (SGL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skipton Building Society. Deposits made with SGL are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Skipton Building Society, established since 1853, has given an undertaking agreeing to discharge the liabilities of SGL in so far as SGL is unable to discharge them out of its own assets and whilst SGL remains a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society. SGL is licensed under the Banking Supervision (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 1994, as amended and conducts business only in Guernsey; it is not authorised to accept deposits elsewhere. Copies of the latest audited accounts are available on request.

*If resident in the European Union for tax purposes, under the EUSTD, which was introduced on 1 July 2005, the interest earned on capital invested will either be taxed at 15%, or, on receipt of a specific customer written request, SGL will exchange information regarding the interest earned on the account on the customer's behalf to the Guernsey tax authorities, who will inform the tax authorities in the country the customer is resident in for tax purposes.