New Car Seats for Every New Baby in West Auckland…..   The Trusts save the lives of children.  That’s what Plunket Car seat Manager for Waitakere area Coral Timmins says, with passion.   “The Trusts Charitable Foundation’ car seats scheme has absolutely saved children.  It gives the families in our area access to car seats so there’s no real reason they shouldn’t be using them.  It’s an absolute boon to West Auckland people,” she says.   For six years in the Waitakere area and four years in the Portage area, The Trusts Charitable Foundation have purchased around 1,500 seats a year and given them to Plunket for distribution to the local community.  At currently around $600,000 a year in equivalent retail value, that amounts to an investment of more than $3,600,000* to date in children’s lives and safety.   Anyone with a baby under four months old can come into the relevant Plunket site and (in return for being able to provide the baby’s birth certificate and proof of residence inside The Trusts’ area at the time of birth) is entitled to be given a car seat.  The recipient is asked for a $25 donation to Plunket for each seat, and the scheme is widely advertised in local papers.   The ‘giveaway’ seats are for babies and toddlers from birth upwards.  The recipient family is entitled to keep the seat.   Heather Eustace, Manager for the Central Suburbs Plunket Car Seat scheme says, “It’s a wonderful way of putting money back into the community.  It’s enabled us to educate people.  There are more seats out there and the whole concept filters through.”   At a Plunket checking clinic at a Warrant of Fitness Testing Station four years ago, Carol Timmins was concerned to observe a high number of seats in the back of cars had actually expired.  Now, she says, similar Plunket checking clinics reveal that very few people in the Portage and Waitakere areas are using seats that are old – all because of The Trusts Charitable Foundation.   “The Trusts Elected Members have been wonderful with putting that level of commitment into the community,” she says. “No-one else is able to do that.  It’s on going commitment too.  Parts of the area I work in are areas of high deprivation.  This is great for them.  Every time we do give away a car seat, we tell people that the reason we’re able to give them a car seat is because we have The Trusts in our area.  We’re so lucky!”   The car seats are available to all West Auckland parents: whose baby was born while they resided within The Trusts boundaries and who can provide proof of residence; and who produce their baby’s birth certificate, power bill (or some other proof of residence for the month in which the baby was born), Well Child Book or Hospital discharge paper.  IMPORTANT NOTE - YOUR CARSEAT MUST BE PICKED UP BEFORE BABY TURNS FOUR MONTHS OLD.    (* the value of the carseats at recommended retail price)   To be eligible to receive your car seat you need to live within The Trust's area at the time of baby's birth. PORTAGE TRUST AREAS: Glendene, Kelston, Glen Eden, Kaurilands, Titirangi, Laingholm, Cornwallis, Little Huia, Whatipu, Green Bay, New Lynn, Avondale, Waterview, Blockhouse Bay, New Windsor & Owairaka, (west of Richardson & Boundary Rds.) WAITAKERE TRUST AREAS: Whenuapai, West Harbour, Waitakere Township, Massey, Henderson, Ranui, Swanson, Taupaki, Te Atatu Peninsula, Te Atatu Sth, Sunnyvale, Oratia, Waiatarua, Karekare, Piha, Bethells Beach. For further information and to arrange to collect your car seat, please contact the Plunket Clinic for the area in which you reside (refer above for Trust areas): For people living in the PORTAGE TRUST AREA, telephone the Balmoral Plunket Clinic on (09) 638 7826 For people living in the WAITAKERE TRUST AREA, telephone the Henderson Plunket Clinic on (09) 837 1871 Please note Plunket will ask for a $25 donation for each car seat distributed.