MAD-Aid, the Isle of Wight’s only medical aids collection and redistribution charity, is excited to announce the opening of its new headquarters on York Avenue, East Cowes, on 22nd of March.
MAD-Aid provides a unique service — we take redundant / out-of-date medical equipment that the NHS cannot use anymore, reconditions where necessary, and then distributes it to hospitals and disabled and needy children in Moldova. Our service of collecting the equipment from them helps Island healthcare providers save the expense of disposing it, and then also helps save the environment.
On our first day of opening, we were visited by Councillor Karl Love, MAD-Aid trustees and volunteers, and members of local businesses.
Victoria Dunford, founder of MAD-Aid, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s 2016 New Year’s Honours list, said: “This is an important milestone in our journey. As populations get older and technology moves on, we anticipate there will be an increased need for our service on the Island. The new centre will enable us to collect more medical aids from healthcare organizations around the Island in a more efficient way.”
Victoria continued: “In the five years we have been operating, we have already collected and redistributed over 350 tonnes of medical equipment, saving Island organizations storage, disposal and transportation costs. By re-using this equipment elsewhere we prevent it going to landfill here on the Island or in UK. This reduces the environmental impact of medical aid disposal, as some items can take over 30 years to breakdown, such as battery operated wheelchairs that would otherwise need specialist disposal.”
MAD-Aid specialises in the collection and subsequent onward delivery of unwanted medical aids, for example, wheelchairs, walking frames, beds, bedside lockers, crutches, as well as supporting a number of other programmes, such as delivering unwanted hotel beds to orphanages in developing countries.
The new HQ also has a shop window, selling hand crafted items offered in partnership with sabirian.com, hand crafted items made by children at our Phoenix Centre in Moldova, and Isle of Wight landscape canvasses provided by our trustee, Ann Lewis.
