THE Powys section of Blood Bikes Wales has received an award from the High Sheriff of Powys, in recognition for all that they do to support our community.
High Sheriff Reg Cawthorne paid a visit to the Powys section of the charity in Builth Wells in January, to present them with the award.
Reg said: “I was delighted to present Blood Bikes with a High Sheriff’s Award as the volunteers have, over many years, provided support for the NHS and have had a major impact in couriering urgent equipment, bloods and tissue samples, as well as frozen human milk, to numerous hospitals and patients throughout the county.
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“Blood Bikes Wales are a dedicated group of volunteers who have beneficially impacted patients’ lives and we, as a community, should be eternally grateful for their dedication.”
Ray Rand, of Blood Bikes Wales, said: “Blood Bikes Wales is a registered charity which provides a motorcycle courier service to the NHS.
“No money is accepted from the NHS for this service and all members of Blood Bikes Wales are volunteers – no-one is paid for their time, either in cash or in kind, and riders provide all their own riding gear.”
The charity operates 20 plus motorcycles, split into eight groups which service all seven health boards in Wales. It is a member of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes.
The Powys section of Blood Bikes Wales formed in 2018 and was the last area of Wales to be covered by the charity. The two Powys bikes cover, on average, 4,000 miles per month.
Riders collect and deliver any essential item which the NHS requires, and which will fit on a motorcycle.
Blood Bikes also collect frozen human milk from donors and transport it to milk banks, in Chester or Swansea’s Singleton Hospital. They then collect the treated milk and transport it to premature baby units throughout Wales.
The advantage of using motorcycles is that they can make journeys in a fraction of the time that a car can. This frees up the other emergency services and saves the NHS millions of pounds per year.
Blood Bikes Wales is funded entirely by individual donors and business sponsorship. For more information, visit www.bloodbikes.wales or their Facebook page.
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