21 Jun Beckenham Rotary donation

The Rotary Club of Beckenham is one of the latest to support the Freddie Farmer Foundation's campaign to purchase a £55,000 piece of equipment called a LokoHelp after reading about the fundraising campaign in the News Shopper newspaper earlier this year.

Geoff Moore from the Beckenham Club popped in to the Freddie Farmer physiotherapy centre on Elliott Road, Bromley last week to present a donation of £1500 to charity trustee Danny Catchesides.

“We decided to help the Freddie Farmer Foundation after reading an article about the campaign in the local paper,” said Geoff.

The LokoHelp electromechanical gait trainer looks like a sophisticated treadmill – the child is suspended from a harness, and their legs enclosed in robotic boots, on top of the conveyor belt.

It does the work of two physiotherapists – holding the child's legs in an upright position to enable the children to walk in the correct walking pattern, to build their muscles required for walking and encourages a more effective application of therapy in all phases of gait training.

The charity has one on a 12-month repayment plan but they have to raise just under £16,000 by the end of the year to keep it.  

“The LokoHelp helps improve physical mobility and also helps with mental focus. We’re delighted that our donation will go towards the purchase of this equipment,” said Geoff.