Englefield Green shop raises cash for kidney transplants

Mar 9 2010 By Matt Lewis

A Surrey resident is saving lives across the world with the proceeds from her new charity shop in Englefield Green.

TLC (Transplant Links Community) arrange for teams of British doctors to go to countries who need help with developing kidney transplant programmes for people dying of kidney failure.

These live donor transplants give the chance for one healthy member of a family to save the life of another by donating one of their kidneys

Dr Jennie Jewitt-Harris, founder and Chairman of TLC said: “We've helped a Dad to save his son, a Mum to save her daughter, Uncle to a Neice, and all sorts of other combinations!

“We set up links to ensure that the skills are transferred to local doctors, and that the links are maintained over a long period of time to ensure that the transplant programmes will be sustainable.”

Since TLC’s establishment in 2006, the organisation has supported transplant programmes in Ghana, Nigeria, Trinidad and most recently Nepal.

“Felix Yeboah was the very first person whose life we were able to save. His Dad gave him a kidney. At the time of the operation he had about 2 weeks left to live. The operation was two years ago, and now he's back at school and living a normal life,” explains Dr Jewitt-Harris

The new shop in Englefield Green is helping the team to fund further projects and save more lives.

“The idea to open a charity shop came from my close friend Anne Harte, who now manages the shop,” said Dr Jewitt-Harris.

“It's been a real team effort of family and friends, my daughter Aimee painted the shop sign outside, and other friends have pitched in to help kit out the shop.

“Local people have already started to come in with donated goods, and the shop made a great start when it opened this week. I think people like the fact that the profits from the shop go directly towards sending more doctors out to share their skills.”

The shop was officially opened on March 1 and is currently seeking donations. People can bring their unwanted goods (clothes, bric a brac, DVDs, books etc)  to the store in Victoria Street, Englefield Green.

For more information visit http://www.transplantlinks.org/ or call Anne on 07592 019739.