Workaid Exhibition Teaches us How to Recycle and Help Others
Amersham Museum 2nd May – 3rd June 2018
The achievements of local charity Workaid, which repairs objects for re-use in Africa, will be celebrated in a new exhibition at Amersham Museum. The exhibition, which has been created in partnership with Workaid, will run from 2nd May – 3rd June 2018 when the museum is open, Wednesday – Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 12 noon – 4.30pm. Visitors can find out how the organisation repairs objects, the benefits their work delivers and hear from some of the volunteers why they enjoy helping.
Workaid first opened in 1986 in response to the famine in Ethiopia. They have grown from a group of 30 to over 250 volunteers today. Their mission was to help people help themselves and stop the cycle of poverty. They did this by collecting unwanted tools and equipment such as sewing and knitting machines. They restored them, so they could be re-used and sent to well researched projects in East Africa. No money is ever sent.
General Manager of Workaid Rob Levine notes: “We are delighted that the Amersham Museum has decided to showcase the wonderful work that Workaid does! We hope that the exhibit creates more interest and enthusiasm for what both we and the Museum do.”
Workaid first started in a shed in Little Chalfont but has now expanded to the premises of the Old Boot Factory in Chesham, still run by a dedicated team of volunteers. They now have their own shop, craft centre and help people with learning disabilities, as well as donating tools to projects in the UK. This exhibition tells their story over the last 32 years, focusing on the benefits of volunteering for both the volunteer and the recipient. There will be tools that people can handle as well as oral histories from the volunteers themselves as well as a range of archives and exhibits.
The exhibition is part of a wider museum project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which celebrates local people’s stories from the 20th century.