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14
Sept
Boroughbridge charity celebrates landmark shipment to Moldova
A Boroughbridge charity marked a major milestone on Saturday (September 12), when it loaded its 200th overseas shipment of disability and rehabilitation equipment, bound for Moldova.
PhysioNet is an entirely volunteer-run charity which collects surplus disability and rehabilitation equipment in the UK and gives it a second life overseas.
The latest consignment contained a record 1,093 items of equipment, with an estimated current value of £16,076. The cost of buying the items brand new would easily exceed £140,000.
Dr Gîncotă was interviewed by a TV news crew while volunteers loaded the van.
The occasion, which was covered by an ITV Calendar film crew, was also witnessed by Dr Ecaterina Gîncotă, director of the Republican Rehabilitation Centre for Children (RRCC) in Moldova, who travelled to Boroughbridge specially for the event.
Dr Gîncotă explained to volunteers the difference PhysioNet’s equipment is making to adults and children with disabilities in her country, and together with David Hartley, district governor of Rotary District 1040, she cut a special cake celebrating PhysioNet’s landmark 200th overseas shipment.
During her visit, Dr Gîncotă also identified several additional items urgently needed in Moldova and, despite the already substantial load, volunteers managed to squeeze them on board, packing the vehicle to capacity.
Dr Gîncotă and Rotary's David Hartley cut the cake to celebrate the 200th shipment.
A PhysioNet spokesperson said:
Reaching our 200th overseas shipment is an extraordinary milestone and belongs to every volunteer, donor, supporter and organisation that has helped PhysioNet over the years.
Having Dr Ecaterina with us made the day particularly special, as our volunteers were able to hear first-hand just how much difference this equipment makes once it reaches Moldova.
In a statement, the RRCC said the importance of assistive technologies in the rehabilitation process was "undeniable", and thanked PhysioNet for the shipment of equipment – the ninth it has received from the charity. It added:
Over the past two years, thanks to this collaboration, we have managed to supply rehabilitation wards, health centres, 15 early intervention centres, temporary placement centres for persons with disabilities, and institutions under the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection with approximately 3,000 units of assistive technology.
PhysioNet is run entirely by volunteers.
In addition to the milestone 200th shipment from the Boroughbridge, PhysioNet's other two depots also loaded consignments – the first time all three facilities have shipped equipment on the same day.
The charity's south-west depot, in Glucestershire, loaded its 28th shipment for Fiji, and its south-east depot, in Cambridgeshire, sent its 34th load to Ukraine.
PhysioNet was founded in 2008 by Peter Thompson MBE, who after 16 years in the Colonial Service in Fiji, worked for 30 years on natural resource projects in developing countries. During that time, he realised how much need there was for basic disability aids such as crutches and wheelchairs – and how easy they were to acquire in the UK.
After searching in vain for a charity that might match supply with demand, he set up PhysioNet, sending its first big shipments to South Africa and Fiji in 2009.
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