THE BARBADOS Council for the Disabled (BCD) is taking its plea for assistance to North America and England.

As part of a thrust to foster relationships in those areas, a four-member delegation comprising Peter Serieux, Roseanna Tudor, Senator Kerryann Ifill and Gaylene Mohammed, is heading off to Canada on November 18 for a one-week trip to try to generate support from Barbadians in the diaspora.

President of the BCD, Joey Harper, told reporters at a Press conference at the BCD headquarters yesterday, that the organisation was in need of assistance in several areas including funding, medications, wheelchairs, after hospitalisation care, and volunteers.

With regard to the last, Harper said that for the past ten to 15 years, volunteers had been "hard to come by".

In issuing a call for young people to offer their time to the BCD, Harper explained that it was not a case of young people not wanting to volunteer, but it was that they had a lot more positive things to do now. He also suggested that the economic crisis made it difficult for people to do things for free.

The financial assistance and volunteers will be invaluable to the success of the multi-national fair, which the BCD will be reviving and taking complete control of in March next year.

Help should soon be on the way with the call for additional wheelchairs, as well.

High Commissioner to Canada, Evelyn Greaves, said the consul general was in possession of several wheelchairs, which will be sent here for the organisation. (YB)