Hundreds of old prosthetic limbs destined for landfill have instead been salvaged for parts by a Stonehaven group to change lives in Africa.
The gentlemen at the Stonehaven Men’s Shed have been working with Scottish hospitals and the Rotary Club of Stonehaven to collect old false arms and legs which would usually just be binned after being thoroughly used.
Instead, the men have used their skills to dismantle the limbs for their valuable joints, connectors and attachments.
They have recently sent a consignment of more than 400 such parts away to the charity Legs4Africa, who will deliver them to sub-Saharan countries for re-assembly by trained locals.
The pack the Stonehaven group sent away contained important fake limb components such as knee and ankle joints, knee and thigh cups, and false feet of various sizes.
These new and improved limbs, made possible by the work of the Stonehaven “shedders”, will be fitted to both children and adults in need, in order to help them live normal lives.
They will be used by amputees in countries like Gambia, Senegal and Tanzania.
Sustainable shedders
Bill Allan, chairman of the Stonehaven Men’s Shed, said the members of the group try to use recycled material as much as possible in their projects.
The volunteers recently built a polytunnel for a local school with a lot of recycled wood and slabs, powered by solar panels and a rainwater collection system, to encourage children to think sustainably and to care for the environment.
Bill explained the project to assist Legs4Africa matched perfectly with this ethos of not letting anything go to waste.
He added: “Shedders Willie Shepherd and Doug Johnson achieved great satisfaction in the challenge of taking these legs apart, and have managed to get it down to a fine art.
“Since 2014, parts to enable the rebuilding of more than 10,000 prostheses in Africa have been shipped by Legs4Africa.”