Tyne and Wear firefighters donate equipment provided in the aftermath of 9/11 to benefit local charities and the community

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service firefighters have been praised after donating kit provided in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack to good causes.
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The kit, which includes hundreds of ‘re-robing kits’ designed to assist crews in the aftermath of a chemical attack, was given to firefighters after 9/11, but is now no longer fit for purpose.

So last year, TWFRS appealed to charities who could make good use of the clothing such as ponchos, socks, rubber shoes and equipment such as sanitary products, to come forward.

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Steph Archbold and Gillian Pickles of Love, Amelia are pictured with Mark Stewart, Kyle Shaw and Andrew Lane of TWFRS outside of the charities offices holding examples of the donated waterproof clothing.Steph Archbold and Gillian Pickles of Love, Amelia are pictured with Mark Stewart, Kyle Shaw and Andrew Lane of TWFRS outside of the charities offices holding examples of the donated waterproof clothing.
Steph Archbold and Gillian Pickles of Love, Amelia are pictured with Mark Stewart, Kyle Shaw and Andrew Lane of TWFRS outside of the charities offices holding examples of the donated waterproof clothing.
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Over 20 charities heard the appeal and came forward to take up the offer, including those combating homelessness, youth groups and an organisation offering support to new mothers and families experiencing poverty and hardship.

Andrew Lane, Watch Manager, Resilience Policy and Planning for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the amazing response we’ve received from local charities looking to come up with wonderfully creative ways to reuse our re-robingkits.

“Once we were given the green light and told the kits were surplus to requirements the intention was always to reintroduce the materials back into the community, in a meaningful and constructive manner that in turn meant they were saved from landfill.

One charity to come forward was Sunderland based Love Amelia, who took 60 junior re-robing kits and supplied them to local community groups who specialise in providing young people with access to outdoor physical activities as well as over 300 sanitary towel products for new Mam’s in local hospitals.

Andrew Lane of TWFRS and Steph Archbold of Love, Amelia pictured outside of the charity’s offices holding an example of the waterproof jackets.Andrew Lane of TWFRS and Steph Archbold of Love, Amelia pictured outside of the charity’s offices holding an example of the waterproof jackets.
Andrew Lane of TWFRS and Steph Archbold of Love, Amelia pictured outside of the charity’s offices holding an example of the waterproof jackets.
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Steph Archbold, Founder and Charity Manager for Love, Amelia, said: “We were so excited when we heard about the fire service kit donations as we had a number of different ideas about how they could be best used to help people in our local community.

“The main use we found for the kits was through a local group who provide important outdoor experiences for young vulnerable and disadvantaged children on Wearside and South Tyneside.”

Other groups from across the region to benefit from the equipment include: sea cadets, The Prince’s Trust and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust.