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Maghaberry Prison was approached by the 'Wheels for the World' charity some time ago and asked to a work area and prisoners to refurbish wheelchairs. The prison readily agreed and a workshop was created and prisoners recruited to work on the project. In total almost 300 chairs have been refurbished in the workshop and several bespoke chairs produced. One such chair was shipped to Brazil for a young girl who, until the arrival of her chair, could not move and was confined to a baby's bouncy chair. Her family have written to the volunteers in the prison expressing their deep gratitude. In Northern Ireland chairs which have been in use for 5 years or have already been refurbished on two occasions are condemned and cannot be used any longer even if refurbished. The 'Wheels for the World' charity, which operates similar projects in England, collects the chairs and brings them to the prison and other workshops for refurbishment. Typically the chairs are given a complete overhaul in the workshop. Each one is stripped down, washed, the mechanics checked and any damaged or worn parts replaced. Because of EC legislation the chairs cannot be reused in any EEC country and have been distributed further afield to the Ukraine, Kenya, Romanian and Jordan. Typically it costs around £2.50 to refurbish assistant propelled chairs and approximately £10.50 for self propelled. One of the prisoners who worked on the project is nearing the end of his sentence and looks set to secure a job refurbishing chairs in a similar workshop in the community. To find out more about the Prison Service of Northern Ireland please visit this link.
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