British hospital equipment is helping to save lives in developing countries, thanks to an organisation set up by a man from Wootton.

Tim Beacon is founder and director of Med-Aid, a non-goverment organisation which takes supplies which are no longer needed by the NHS but which are still in working condition.

The kit would normally be earmarked for landfill, but Med-Aid transfers it to the other side of the world where it can help to save and transform lives.

Tim, who has lived locally for 20 years, said: "I am the sort of personality where if I see something isn't right, I try to fix it.

"When I was working in hospitals in the developing world it was obvious that they didn't have a lot of the equipment that they needed.

"There were good people out there with good skills, but they lacked a lot of the things they needed.

"But a lot of that equipment was being got rid of by the NHS – not because it was no good but in the same way that you might upgrade your phone or your car.

"For example, in a lot of countries they can have beds which can be very uncomfortable if a patient is in them for a long time.

"The NHS is moving to having electric beds, but its old ones are still perfectly useable, so they can be ideal for other countries to use."

Med-Aid was founded six years ago, and draws upon Tim's wide experience. He has previously worked as a hospital operating department practitioner, as a national sales manager for an orthopaedic company, has written a book on gap years, and has been a civil instructor to the special forces' medical corps.

And he claimed his variety of experience was a big benefit for the charity.

Tim said: "I know a lot about healthcare, and I have been in hospitals in the developing world.

"We have worked in countries across Africa, from helping to set up operating theatres in Zimbabwe, to sending equipment to help AIDS victims in Rwanda.

"Recently we transported an X-ray machine to Uganda and I am now filling a 40-foot container of other equipment."

He added: "We look to make a difference.

"No one likes to see unnecessary suffering, and while people in the developing world are often perfectly healthy, if they suffer an injury or catch something it can be serious.

"I dealt with one girl who was aged 14. She had an underlying medical condition and suffered a cut to her arm.

"Because she was an orphan no one did anything about it, and by the time she got to a medical centre the arm was gangrenous and had to be amputated. If she had been seen sooner she would not have lost her arm."

For more information or to find out how you can help the organisation visit www.medaid.co.uk