18/07/2026
This week, Deputy Mayor of Eastbourne, Cllr Teri Sayers-Cooper had the honour of attending the Medi Tech Trust 2026 Community Initiative Presentation.
The charity donated 10 Lifting Chairs to NHS SECAmb Community First Responder groups throughout East Sussex.
Bob Lewis and Graham Watson OBE, founders of the charity, together their team, welcomed the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex Mr. Andrew Blackman CStJ.
The community project is ongoing until all areas in East Sussex, Brighton and Hove have their own manual lifting chairs. The first ten chairs were presented by the Lord Lieutenant to Responder Group Representatives from Bexhill, Eastbourne, Hailsham, Hastings, Heathfield, Hurst Green, Newhaven and Seaford (Seahaven), Polegate, Rye and Uckfield.
Medi Tech Trust has already earmarked some funds for further chairs and is hoping to secure further donations to buy more. It is appealing to businesses, clubs, fraternal societies, and the public to consider donating funds for this much needed equipment.
This is such an important appeal helping the vulnerable in East Sussex, as statistically one in three people over the age of 65 will have a fall each year. The chair can potentially save many ambulance journeys and may even prevent hospitalisation. If an elderly or frail person is unable to get up, the first responder is reliant on the ambulance service for help lifting the patient and may have to wait for hours until an ambulance crew can attend. Being in an immobile position for a long time could lead to a patient needing hospital treatment, which might be prevented if they could be safely moved.
A manual mobile lifting chair, costing £2,000, is a safe solution as one First Responder can safely operate it. The chair can gently lift a fallen person up to a comfortable sitting position in a few minutes. The patient is stabilised with a seat belt and headrest so there is no neck strain during the lift. The chair is easily operated with no strain on the First Responder, as the lifting process is at a pace the Responder can manage and control.
The charity’s previous initiative, lasting several years, donated equipment for the care of patients to every doctor’s surgery in the county. This was achieved with every surgery in East Sussex receiving the much-needed equipment they had requested. Medi Tech Trust aims to achieve the same 100% for its East Sussex First Responder Groups.
If you would like to support First Responders in East Sussex and your local community, please contact call 01323 442211 or email [email protected]
