ILKLEY residents responded magnificently on Saturday when the Ilkley Wharfedale Rotary Club held their annual recycling day for unwanted items.

The club collected 106 bikes, 19 sewing machines, 178 pairs of spectacles, seven wheelchairs, plus other mobility aids and three trailer-loads of assorted workshop equipment, hand tools and power tools.

“All these items will be refurbished and put back into use,” said Rotarian Marten Koopmans. “The people who donated this unwanted equipment can be very pleased that it will be used to change people’s lives in the third world – giving people sight, mobility or employment. Our partner charities are very grateful.”

The equipment will be refurbished either by the Margaret Carey Foundation, SpecSort, Physionet or Ilkley Tools for Africa, before being sent abroad to those who need them but cannot afford to buy them.

Rollators and wheelchairs will help improve an individual’s mobility, while bicycles could help a young person access education or get around in their work. Sewing machines, power tools and workshop equipment like drills, sanders and grinders will help people to work or set up a small business.

More information is available on the Rotary Club Website.