Queensland ‘century’ for Keighley firm that makes walkers for disabled people (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Queensland ‘century’ for Keighley firm that makes walkers for disabled people
7:50pm Saturday 23rd February 2013 in News
Revolutionary walking aids made in Keighley are being exported for use by disabled children around the world.
Hundreds of youngsters in other countries with conditions such as cerebral palsy are using the wheeled frames to get around.
Queensland in Australia recently celebrated its hundredth walker manufactured in Keighley by the David Hart Clinic. Many other walkers are sent to Israel where the country’s health ministry pays the costs for children who would benefit.
It has also licensed a company in Canada to make frames for the North American market and another in Scandinavia to manufacture a version for Europe.
Meanwhile, children from across the UK still travel to the clinic, in Dawson Road, for assessment and training with the frames.
These have included Keighley girl Tierney Westerman (left), who has cerebral palsy and was last year provided with a walker thanks to an anonymous donor.
The Hart Walker was created by Keighley engineer David Hart in the 1980s and many were supplied to disabled Keighley children thanks to massive local fundraising.
