A DONATION of £100,000 has boosted the work of West Devon charity Rapid-UK. The money was donated by a patron of the charity, Amanda Paton, at a reception at the House of Lords last week. The event was hosted by Lord Rogan, with Rapid-UK president the Duke of Gloucester as guest of honour. Ambassadors representing over 20 countries were also present, along with members of the business and banking communities. The Okehampton-based Rapid-UK (Rescue and Preparedness in Disasters) carries out search and rescue operations in the wake of natural disasters both in the UK and abroad. To date, teams from the charity have attended earthquakes, floods and hurricanes in over 24 countries, including the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. They are also currently involved in the training of local disaster management teams in areas prone to large-scale natural disasters. Rapid-UK is run entirely by volunteers and solely funded by public donations.