I went to the A4HW warehouse
this afternoon (18/03/10) with Marian to try to get
to grips with what they are doing and what Richard
Pither is attempting to get us to take part in.
The warehouse that I visited in Bury St Edmunds used
to be the old West Suffolk Hospital Laundry. The
roof leaks, it is cold, it is grim, it is stuffed to
the roof with all sorts of equipment discarded by the NHS for one
reason or another. Most of this equipment has many
many years of life in it and is of inestimable value
to hospitals in countries that are not as well
provided for as we are in the UK.
Importantly in this shabby old building there are a
small number of dedicated volunteers who receive,
sort, refurbish and repack ex-hospital equipment of
all sorts from the south of the UK, place it in
shipping containers and forward it on to public
community hospitals in third world countries that
are in need. If it were not re-processed in this
manner it would go into "landfill". Rather than this
happening it contributes to saving lives and
improving health in countries where it is most
needed.
A4HW needs volunteers to help in this most
worthwhile task. You may have particular skills that
are of use or it may be that you can simply sort and
pack items or assist others in what they are doing.
If you think that you can give a small amount of
your time either on a regular or flexible basis
please contact the
webmaster or the
Inner Wheel District Overseas Service Officer
