Acting legend Dame Judi Dench has shown her support for Helston aid charity ShelterBox with a “significant donation.”

The charity said that the actress was moved to donate after hearing of the charity’s response to the East Africa famine crisis.

Dame Judi said: “This is a very effective and immediate way of helping those in extreme distress.”

Dame Judi has already shown her support for ShelterBox, back in June, when she donated a signed and framed theatre poster to the Big Green Box Week pop-up shop set up in London, which proved to be one of the first items to sell.

Tim Bunting, ShelterBox UK general manager, said: “We’d like to thank Dame Judi Dench for her support at this extremely busy time in ShelterBox’s history.

“The East Africa refugee crisis remains a huge humanitarian task and her donation will help some of the most vulnerable refugees find shelter, warmth and dignity at a time of unimaginable difficulty.”

Other celebrities that have supported the charity in the past include Joanna Lumley, who is patron, while Ben Fogle is a vocal supporter and the Big Box and Buy campaign inspired donations from celebrities including Sienna Miller, Emma Watson, Kevin Spacey and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine.

Meanwhile ShelterBox has risen to the challenge in Africa following a call for 45,000 more tents from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The Helston charity has been working alongside them and the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to provide shelter for thousands of refugees who have crossed the border into Kenya fleeing the drought in Somalia.

So far, ShelterBox have 2,000 tents in country and another 2,560 are en route.

It means that more than 40,000 people will soon have much needed shelter.