On Saturday, 4th October, Ilkley Wharfedale Rotary Club is holding its annual Recycle Collection Day in Ilkley's main car park between 10am and 3pm.
This year the Club is collecting trainers (preferably in clean condition), spectacles, school backpacks as well as the usual unwanted bicycles for use by any age group (not e-bikes), mobility aids, sewing machines and workshop tools.
For the first time bras are being collected, which can be in any condition with those in good condition being distributed to poorer countries and those not suitable for re-use being sent for material re-cycling.
The collection day is being supported by Upcycle who take the bicycles and mobility aids and have these refurbished in prisons, which gives those people involved useful skills when they rehabilitate back into society. These bicycles and mobility aids are then sold to raise funds to sustain the charity and the remainder are donated to people in need in the UK and overseas.
Biasan (Bradford Immigration and Asylum Support and Advice Network) refugee charity who re-cycle the trainers and pass these on to refugees and asylum seekers in the Bradford area.
The Rotary Club of York Ainsty who collect spectacles for the Rotary SpecSort charity which has trained opticians who sort, grade, distribute the glasses and who often go to developing countries to ensure everybody gets the correct grade of glasses.
Tools For Africa who put new life into unwanted tools and assembles them into kits for carpenters, builders, automotive repairs, dressmakers etc. and distributes these through WorkAid to African countries so that they can start small businesses and support their communities.
And finally, the Club is collecting educational and sport material for The Gambia Schools Trust who have helped to establish and improve educational facilities for young children in The Gambia, particularly in the poorer more remote regions of the country.
A spokesperson for The Rotary Club of Ilkley Wharfedale said:
“For the Gambia School Trust we are now collecting dictionaries, pictorial encyclopaedias, early years educational books, pens and pencils, pencil sharpeners, rubbers, colour pencils (not wax or gel). also, some sports equipment - small cricket bats, pads, tennis balls, small racquets, blow-up footballs & pumps. However, we cannot take clothing or toys (which are outside the import agreement).”
Any questions about the event please email ilkleywrc@gmail.com
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