What's this about?

Montserrat is a small Caribbean island. It has had a turbulent recent past with natural disasters having a considerable effect on the people who live there. In 1989 Hurricane Hugo decimated the island and just as people recovered, there was a volcano eruption in 1995. Many people left the island and the population dropped from around 13,000 to around 2,500. Many of those who left were working age, leaving behind an older and more dependent population.  Many of them have physical impairments, most often caused by diabetes, stroke and cardiac conditions. There are also a number of children with various conditions affecting their development.

Today Montserrat is still recovering and despite continued volcanic activity, the population has grown to around 5,000 people. The hospital, clinics and social care dept have some very dedicated staff who do the best they can with the resources available. There is currently no rehab service and very little basic mobility and daily living equipment. Tanya’s recent research study highlighted the huge impact this has on the population of people with physical impairment, and we want to help. 

What are we doing?

So we are going to Montserrat! We know what you are probably thinking: “white sandy beaches, cocktail in hand, a bit of swimming...”.  STOP! This is definitely not the plan! We will be working very hard, with the added benefit of respite from the gloomy London skies.

What we are really doing:

We have offered some volunteer Physio (Tanya!) and Occupational Therapy (Sandy!) time to address some of the immediate problems by working with patients, their families and healthcare workers in Montserrat. This will include initial capacity building around basic rehabilitation skills and management of disability.

How can you help? (Thanks for asking!!)

We need your help to buy walking aids and daily living equipment. We will donate everything to the Montserrat British Red Cross, who will help manage the equipment sustainably. This means that the equipment you sponsor will be provided to those who need it most, and can be used again and again.

Costs of such equipment? Well walking frames are around £35 each, Sticks £10, Toilet frames around £12, wheelchair cushions around £60, wheelchairs start at £160 for anything remotely decent. Gets expensive. We would like to get a good range of good quality equipment, but won’t know what is possible until we do some fundraising. 

Sponsor a Stick! (Or something similar)

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.

So please dig deep and donate now. Thanks for your support!!!