Article in the Autumn 2011 issue of the British Red Cross magazine for the North East and Cumbria

Furness Waste Consortium, with vital support from the British Red Cross in South Cumbria, the collection of redundant bandages in aid of international conservation projects continues to be a fantastic success. Our original project saw employees of Centrica in Windsor delivering redundant medical supplies to the ACE animal charity in Egypt. We decided to take a more local perspective and in early 2009 began to collect both bandages and unwanted spectacles for the South Lakes Wild Animal Park and the Wildlife Protection Foundation. In August 2009 Centrica engaged with Furness Waste Consortium members (a group of environmental advisors in South Cumbria) to deliver thousands of bandages and spectacles which are passed to the local tribes in Niger, through Medecins Sans Frontiers. In return the locals are learning to protect their ecology and threatened species.

The British Red Cross has remained at the core of all collections, by providing large amounts of bandages from first aid courses. Delivering these valuable materials remains a long term task and I know the Wildlife Protection Foundation is hugely grateful for your continues support. John Watson, Deputy Chairman, FWC