THE LARGEST load of tools and sewing machines to leave the workshops of Ilkley Tools for Africa departed on Friday.

The tools will continue a journey that will see them being recycled and put to use in helping some of the poorest people on earth provide a living for themselves.

The first leg of the journey saw the ITFA volunteers collecting unwanted tools locally and refurbishing them in their workshops.

The load comprised more than 3,500 tools for use in a variety of kits – for auto mechanics, bicycle repair, carpentry, woodcarving, building, metalworking, blacksmithing, plumbing, shoe repair, welding, electrical installation and more.

They will eventually be placed in the hands of artisans in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia.

The next stop on the journey is the Old Boot Factory at Chesham in Buckinghamshire, where the charity Workaid has its headquarters. From there, the refurbished tools will be shipped in kits to vocational training projects to East Africa, where they help vulnerable and disadvantaged people to learn trade skills and start their own businesses.

Ilkley Tools for Africa also gathers sewing and knitting machines and related haberdashery. Fourteen sewing machines and ten bolts of cloth accompanied the tools this time.

Volunteers have also been asked to provide tools for the vocational training centre at the Nuffield School for the Deaf and Blind in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. This country is struggling to recover from 30 years of civil war, and this will contribute to that effort.

Contact Ilkley Tools for Africa on 01943 608655 or e-mail thatcanyon@talktalk.net if you can help.