Sewing machine toolkit invention 'a lifesaver' (From Daily Echo)
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Sewing machine toolkit invention 'a lifesaver'
1:00pm Friday 30th December 2011 in News
Alan Busher, right, with his sewing machine toolkit
A SIMPLE but unique toolkit devised by a Hampshire man is set to revolutionise sewing machine maintenance in povertystricken areas of Africa.
Alan Busher’s invention is a big hit with bosses at the New Forest-based charity Tools for Self Reliance which has shipped tens of thousands of high-quality refurbished tools and sewing machines to projects in Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, Sierra Leone and Malawi.
Alan’s specially adapted toolkit features some unusual items including a bespoke feeler gauge and a toothbrush for cleaning all the small moving and hard-to-access parts of a sewing machine.
Tools for Self Reliance spokesman Bob Westcott said: “Alan’s toolkit will make a big difference.
“The people who receive sewing machines from us will be able to keep them going in tip-top condition.
“We try to reuse every bit of equipment that we are given and what we are doing is making a big difference to people’s lives in Africa. We work in partnership with local communities out there.”
The charity has around 180 volunteers at its UK headquarters in Netley Marsh and up to 700 across Britain, and Alan, who lives in Romsey, is one of them.
Alan and his volunteer colleagues refurbish tools that are given to people who are struggling to make a living in Africa but haven’t got the cash and equipment to become self-reliant.
