We often read the stories of people who receive sewing machines in Africa and how it has changed their lives. But where does the journey begin? This is the story of Wayne from King's Lynn in Norfolk, England. He has donated so far about 60 sewing machines to TWAM, and he is still going strong!

Wayne (right) with TWAM collector Don and a newly refurbished sewing machine!

When TWAM first met Wayne in June, 2023, he refurbished sewing machines as a hobby - and had about 18 machines in his home. It was time to do something with them, said his wife Charlie!

But what do you do with old sewing machines? That is the question he asked Google, who promptly pointed him to TWAM. Through the website he found the email address of a local volunteer collector, Don, and made contact.

"I thought his address looked familiar," says Don. "Sure enough, I had been there before. I used to drive for local transport and had taken Charlie to her volunteer job at the hospital. So I was no stranger to them.

As a collector, you usually expect one or maybe two sewing machine from a home. I left with a car boot full.

And since then, over the last two years Wayne has refurbished and donated to TWAM nearly 60 machines."

But why did Wayne have so many machines?

Ever since he was a child and rescued the bobbin underneath his mother’s sewing machine, Wayne has been fascinated with their mechanics and solidity. It is a very simple mechanism, and yet it accomplishes so much, he tells us. Indeed, according to him, a sewing machine is a “small thing that makes a big difference,” as TWAM knows all too well!

Wayne eventually taught himself to sew, and made ‘bits and bobs’ and items of clothing for his daughters. This led him to begin to repair them, and in time led to a houseful of machines.

We continue to be amazed at Wayne's encyclopaedic knowledge of sewing machines. He of course knows the different makes, but he also knows what model they are and when they were made. Don's favourite was a Singer made in 1895 with mother-of-pearl on its bed. Wayne’s all-time favourite machine is the Singer 66.

Could one of the 1,750 electric sewing machines sent by TWAM in 2025 be from Wayne's collection??

Sixty sewing machines and counting...

Charlie says that, now Wayne has an outlet for his machines, he has an increased enthusiasm to find and fix them. He looks on Facebook and eBay, visits car boot sales, and asks around. And Wayne often hears families say their mother or grandmother would be so happy for her sewing machine to be given a second life in Africa.

Wayne is so pleased that he discovered TWAM. Not only does he gain pleasure from restoring a machine, but he gets even more pleasure knowing that his is the first step in helping transform a life.

Well done Wayne!

Thank you to Wayne and his wife Charlie for their passion and hard work!