A DISABILITY charity has acquired an empty building at La Collette’s recycling centre to relaunch a project helping Islanders in need of mobility equipment.
Enable Jersey, which supports disabled Islanders and their families, services and donates specialised mobility equipment to those in need.
The charity’s chief executive, Sean Pontin, said: “We noticed that there were various people offering us pieces of mobility equipment [such as beds and hoists], and then a couple of weeks later, we would have a request for something similar, and we weren’t in the space at that time to be able to match them together.”
He explained that the equipment was “expensive and well-needed”, and Islanders often required it in order to come home from hospital or prevent them from going into care homes. “Very sadly, a lot of the stuff that we’re talking about isn’t used until the end of life, and so there’s a lot of life left in it when other people no longer need it,” he added.
“The larger equipment, such as rise and recliner armchairs, which are used for occupational therapy, are not provided by government, so somebody who’s looking to try to get out of hospital after a stay will need to stay for longer to stop them going into a care home.”
With the support of the Jersey Community Foundation, the charity began storing, cleaning, and servicing the donated equipment at their current Five Oaks store, before lending it back into the community.
However, Mr Pontin said that a bigger space was needed, as their equipment store was “fit to pop”.
The building at La Collette, formerly the Acorn Re-use Centre, has been empty for four years.
Commenting on the motivation behind the project, Mr Pontin said: “Overall, it saves a lot of money, time and hassle for people who can’t afford it at a stressful time. But also, if you look at it from a financial point of view, it should prevent people from going into hospital and needing social work input, and it should stop them having to rely on the benefit system to be able to pay for some things.”
Mr Pontin added that recycling the equipment also had environmental benefits.
“From an environmental point of view, it means that lots of metal and plastic is being reused or recycled appropriately.
“It’s a really good project for the whole Island,” he added.
Enable Jersey has leased the building for three years and hopes to open in the middle of February.
When it opens, members of the public will be able to drop off and collect items from the store, where all items will be transferred from Five Oaks.
The charity is currently asking for help to spruce up the building before it formally opens.
“We’ve got a month to give it a coat of paint, and we are desperate for a little bit of help in how to paint it.
“It needs a coat out the front and inside, so we’ve been putting some feelers out for anyone who might be able to help us.”
