Old shoes help keep air ambulance flying

More than a ton of old shoes were collected as part of a campaign to raise funds for the air ambulance service covering the UK region of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. For the ‘Re-UseYa Shoes!’ day, 42 schools in the area encouraged children to track down old footwear and donate their old shoes, football boots, trainers and wellington boots, to help keep the helicopter in the air and saving lives.

The schools were set the challenge of filling as many bags as possible with shoes, as well as building the highest tower of shoes. Prizes were awarded to the school that collected the most shoes. Apparently, the shoes collected were of every shape, size, condition and colour imaginable.

According to the campaign organisers, the footwear is to be sold on through reputable traders overseas. However, in an attempt to ensure that nothing is wasted, any shoes found to be in such a poor condition that they cannot be worn will be broken down for parts to repair other footwear.

John Perry, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance’s chief executive, said: “Our very first ‘Re-Use-Ya Shoes!’ day has been more successful than we could have imagined. Not only has the campaign raised money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, but it has taught children about the importance of recycling and helped people in countries worldwide. We could not have hoped for a more enthusiastic response from participating schools.”

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 6 of the November 2013 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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