PhysioNet, established in 2005, is a North Yorkshire based charity that provides people that have disabilities in developing countries and Eastern and Central Europe with physiotherapy equipment, wheelchairs, mobility items and some hospital hardware.
Throughout the UK, a lot of equipment, is no longer required by a variety of agencies, for example the NHS, Local Authorities, Social Services and the private sector... and it would generally end up in land fill sites! PhysioNet has built up a network of of enthusiastic volunteers to collect such donated equipment and deliver it to a PhysioNet's depot in North Yorkshire...The Equipment is then catagorised, checked, wrapped and listed. Items are then hand packed into 40ft containers for shipment to countries around the world, eg Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Romania, Bhutan, Syria, Belarus, Ukraine, Ghana, South Africa etc.
PhysioNet was awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Services in 2017, a great achievement.
PhsioNet could not exist to do this very valuable and humanitarian work without help through provision of local collection points, volunteer workers and lastly but very importantly financial support via charitable donations. In West Yorkshire, the Rotary Club of Horbury and Ossett Phoenix provides some help in each of those three ways. There are many supporting Clubs and Organisations providing such help and here are a few links to their websites:
Rotary Club of Knaresborough - use search to find articles on PhisioNet
Rotary Club of Saffron Walden - use search to find articles on PhysioNet
