IT IS all change for a disaster response charity based in Chilmark.

Team Rubicon UK (TRUK) will now be known as RE:ACT Disaster Response.

The rebrand comes after Team Rubicon UK reached a formal agreement with Team Rubicon Inc to end its licence agreement.

General Sir Nick Parker, the chairman of RE:ACT, said: "I am delighted that Team supports us as our charity evolves. We are rebranding to become RE:ACT, and our operation to support the British people in the response to Covid-19 can continue without missing a beat.

"Team Rubicon have given us a foundation which has demonstrated that veterans can provide an invaluable capability when responding to natural disasters and emergencies. We are enormously proud of our heritage and will always recognise that our journey would not have been possible without the founding idea of Jake Wood and William McNulty.

"We wish Team Rubicon well and are committed to continuing our mission of serving the victims of disasters around the world."

TRUK was formed in 2015, when a team of British Armed Forces veterans joined Team Rubicon disaster response volunteers from the USA at the scene of the Nepalese earthquake to give vital support to survivors.

TRUK was officially established, with General Sir Nick Parker, former Commander of British Land Forces, as chairman of the board in the wake of this response.

It has deployed on many international and domestic operations, including more recently assisting with UK response to the coronavirus pandemic, and grown from a small team to a charity of several thousand registered volunteers, predominantly with military and emergency services backgrounds.

In the last ten weeks, TRUK has been deployed on its biggest operation to date, Op RE:ACT; its domestic response to helping the UK fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the charities will continue to seek opportunities to work together, there will no longer be any formal

association between them.

Jake Wood, the co-founder and CEO of Team Rubicon, said: “In times of crisis, coalitions of men and women across the globe have answered their nation's calling by serving in the military. Likewise, since the founding of Team Rubicon, we have envisioned a future in which those same men and women could continue their service by helping communities to recover from natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

"Over the past five years we have proven that veterans are ready, willing, and able to serve on this new frontline. As TRUK rebrands and begins its new journey as RE:ACT, Team Rubicon commends the service and sacrifice of its thousands of volunteers, and wishes them well in their pursuit of helping those survivors experiencing their worst days.”