LabAid was started by the late Alan Welch, MBE in 1990, first
exhibited at the Association for Science Education (ASE)
Annual Conference in 1991 and registered as a charity in 1997,
the LabAid Trust.
Alan had taught in Ghana (where his pupils included the young
Kofi Annan), the UK, the USA and Kenya. Recognising the need,
he set up LabAid, at first in his own home and then in
premises provided by Amersham Free Church. He gradually
brought in mainly retired local volunteers. There are no paid
staff.
When Alan died in January 2016, The LabAid Trust (after a
short hiatus) was reformed as The LabAid Foundation, with new
trustees drawn from existing volunteers – but it’s still known
to everybody as LabAid.
The LabAid Foundation is,in effect, a re-cycling charity,
accepting donations of used scientific equipment from schools
etc in the UK. Mostly these gifts arise when a school is
closing, moving site or efurbishing its laboratories. Often, the
equipment is still serviceable or can be cannibalised/ repaired.
After sorting and checking, it is packaged and sent to schools
in developing countries.