Next week, STAND will hit the road to collect leg components from prosthetic centres across the country
Isaac from Ghana, with a donated leg from STAND(Image: Submitted)
Prosthetic limbs are being collected by a charity that is on a country-wide tour to collect disused prosthetics and send them to amputees in Africa. STAND’s Legs on Tour 2026 appeal will come to Hull next week as part of its UK-wide tour.
Millions of amputees across sub-Saharan Africa are unable to access prosthetic legs, while the UK and other countries discard high-quality legs after use. Without mobility, amputees can’t work or go to school, meaning they are often stuck in a cycle of poverty.
From Monday 3 to Wednesday 6 August, STAND will hit the road to collect leg components from prosthetic centres across the country. These will then be refurbished and shipped to clinics across sub-Saharan Africa, where they will provide life-changing mobility to people with limb loss.
The tour will start in the north of England, beginning in Carlisle and Newcastle before passing through Middlesbrough on its way to Hull and Leeds on Monday 3 August. To keep the show on the road, they need help from the public to raise £20,000. The first £2,000 in donations will be matched by prosthetics manufacturer, Blatchford, doubling the impact of any gifts.
Donations will fund its UK and global leg collection, as well as essential care to help amputees walk again. Since STAND was founded 12 years ago, it has already helped thousands of people across sub-Saharan Africa get back on their feet. Catherine from Ghana lost her leg in a road accident, and said her hope is to “go back to my job as a trader and do my work on my own without calling people to help me.” Isaac, also from Ghana, was also fitted with a prosthetic leg with the help of STAND. He said: “It has given me the freedom to walk without crutches. I can go up and down the stairs and it has given me a different kind of confidence.”
Tom Williams OBE, founder of STAND: “Up to 95% of amputees in low-income countries don’t have access to prosthetic legs. Whilst in the UK, perfectly good legs are thrown away. Legs on Tour is our chance to close that gap. We’re asking the public to help us fund the journey and our work. Every donation brings us closer to giving someone back their independence.”
Paralympic Gold Medallist and professional athlete Richard Whitehead MBE said: “I’m really proud to support this tour and the extraordinary work of STAND. The difference they make to people is life changing. By bringing together legs from across the UK, this tour will help give individuals in low-income countries the chance to move freely, in many cases for the very first time. Mobility transforms confidence, independence and opportunity, and it’s an honour to stand alongside a mission that brings that kind of hope to so many.”
To donate or find out how to send a prosthetic leg, visit: stand.ngo/legs-on-tour-26
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