Chiddingfold Parish Council lead the way for Air Ambulance Go Green!

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Your old clothes and shoes can now be turned into money and you can help the environment! 

L W Sait & Sons have launched a new recycling initiative which will help to raise funds for the Surrey Air Ambulance.

On Monday, Councillors from Chiddingfold Parish Council took delivery of the first clothes and shoe recycling bank at their Coxcombe Lane recreation ground car park.

Parish Council Chairman, Cllr Richard Hogsflesh, said “With an expected annual minimum return to the Surrey Air Ambulance Fund of £750, the council decided that this was an excellent scheme to aid the air ambulance service as they have been called to assist residents on more than one occasion.   In addition to providing financial support for the Surrey Air Ambulance, without using public funds, we are pleased to be able to support the environment by providing a local recycling bank for clothing and shoes. Residents would otherwise have to travel some miles to the next nearest facility.”

Jonathan Sait from L W Sait & Sons said “Every year the nation throws away around 1,500,000 tonnes of textiles. By launching this recycling scheme, we are not only diverting more waste from landfill sites, but also offering a simple and effective way of raising funds for a vital service that helps so many people and saves lives. We would like to place more bins in the County and would love to hear from any business that would be able to help us do this”.

Last year was a busy year operationally for the Surrey Air Ambulance. It flew a total of 694 missions and carried 96 patients.  Of these, 46% were road traffic crashes and 13% medical emergencies.  The skills of the Air Ambulance’s medical team has made a significant difference to the patients that they have carried, some of whom would not be alive today, had they not received the assistance of the Surrey Air Ambulance.

Julie Jenkinson, County Fundraiser, had this to say.  “Since our launch in 2007 Chiddingfold Parish Council and local residents have given us incredible support.  We are delighted that they are the first to implement this new fundraising initiative in Surrey, to help raise the £1.7 million we need to keep the Air Ambulance flying.  We cannot thank them enough and hope more venues will be forthcoming.”

To find out how you can help or where you’re nearest clothes and shoe recycling bank is, visit our Recycling page.