On Saturday 1 February 2025, the Trust launched the walking aid return and reuse scheme. Members of the public can return unused metal walking aids such as crutches, sticks and frames. The equipment is safety checked, repaired, and reissued where appropriate, or recycled when not safe for reuse.
People can return any unwanted walking aids, irrespective of when or where they got them from, to any of our three sites in the following locations:
King’s Mill Hospital, Clinic 10 (Therapy Services) or main entrance | Mansfield Road, Sutton-In-Ashfield, NG17 4JL | Tel: 01623 672384 | Accessible 24/7
Mansfield Community Hospital, Rehab Unit | Stockwell Gate, Mansfield, NG18 5QJ | Tel 01623 785122 | Open Mon-Fri 08:00 - 16:00
Newark Hospital, Byron House | Boundary Road, Newark, NG24 4DE | Tel: 01636 685885 | Open Mon-Fri 08:00 - 16:00
The drop-off points will remain permanent sites that the public can return their walking aids to going forwards.
Therapy services at King’s Mill Hospital will be working with the British Red Cross, who have an extremely robust equipment return and reuse system which means more of the equipment returned to us can be refurbished and sent back into circulation. Walking aids will be tracked to individual patients going forwards which will improve patient safety, particularly if any walking aids have safety recalls.
Refurbishing walking aids will reduce the quantity of new walking aids being issued in the Trust, and in turn reduce the CO2 emissions associated with manufacturing.
Deborah Kerry, a Physiotherapist currently on secondment with the Improvement Faculty at Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, said: “The relaunch of this scheme is another step forwards in the Trust’s drive towards achieving the Net Zero target and I am really excited to be project lead. I hope the public will embrace the scheme, which will have a positive environmental and financial impact”