Category: Organisations

1. Motorcycle duo "Let it Go" in fancy dress fundraiser for SSAFA

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 24th Aug 2021

   Motorcycle enthusiasts Mark 'Spoons' Witherspoon and Dave 'Woolie' Newsome took to the stage dressed as princesses Elsa and Anna from Frozen last weekend in front of a crowd of over 100 bikers after making a bet to raise £350 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.   

    

   Spoons and Woolie “Let it Go” on 21st August 2021 – Woolie’s birthday – at GEMCC Sapphire & Steel motorcycle rally at the Sloop Inn, Temple Hirst, Selby.

   Spoons was a Lance Corporal in the Fusiliers for nine years, taking in two tours including Northern Ireland and Bosnia. Woolie is a long-term supporter of the Armed Forces community and runs Team Sober MCC, which has raised funds for SSAFA over the last few years.

   The duo said: “We agreed that if we raised £350 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, we would dress as female princesses. The community has now raised £460 meaning we have to go ahead with our challenge!” 

   As well as raising a few eyebrows, the intrepid pair has now raised more than £755 for SSAFA with their Frozen inspired onstage exploits.

   Their friend, Paul Auduchowitsch, said: “We have purchased the dresses, wands and tiaras for the two of them. SSAFA has kindly provided a pretty sash for the pair of them too!” 

   Donations are still being accepted, and If you would like to contribute, click here: justgiving.com/fundraising/paul-auduchowitsch2 
   
   

   

    

   

    

   SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885. In 2020, our teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 79,000 people in need, from Second World War veterans to young men and women who have served in more recent conflicts, and their families. SSAFA understands that behind every uniform is a person. And we are here for that person – any time they need us, in any way they need us, for as long as they need us. 

   
   ssafa.org.uk 

    

2. Who are Blood Bikers?

   Posted on 11:00am Tuesday 27th Apr 2021

   Blood Bikers might sound like a less than friendly motorcycle gang, but in reality, this is actually an organization that saves lives and makes a huge difference to healthcare. Essentially, blood bikers provide a professional rapid response medi-cal transport service to the NHS transporting things like blood, surgical instru-ments, human donor milk, medication and more recently COVID-19 serial testing.  

   A Noble Charity
   
   Run by unpaid volunteers, Blood Bikers have roots going back over 50 years with the rapid response motorcycle charity providing a highly valuable service to the NHS and public as a whole through delivering key medical products in the quick-est possible way. The group is constantly growing too, which means that they can provide a nationwide service and make a big difference to public health

   Life as a Blood Biker

   Motorbike insurance specialist Carole Nash supports Manchester Blood Bikes and looked into what a day in the life of this important role is like with Malcolm - a Blood Biker from Sunderland. Malcolm decided to join the cause after his sister was involved in a serious accident with her life being saved by the air ambulance. This led Malcolm to seek out ways to support them, which took him to the North-umbria Blood Bikes website. Malcolm described his best experience as a blood biker:

   “One time I got an urgent job for some blood to be taken to a hospital about 15 miles away. Because I was on a blood bike, I could cut through the traffic and ar-rived there very quickly before delivering the blood on time. The next day some-one posted a story about the lady we’d saved on Facebook. Apparently, this lady had cancer, and wouldn’t have survived without the blood transfusion she was able to have as a result of our work as Blood Bikers. That is one of the things that stands out for me. You never know who you are helping from one night to the next.”

   Blood Bikes Leinster

   Blood Bikes Leinster, which was established in 2013 and supports hospitals throughout Ireland. Fergus Lennon, Director of Blood Bikes Leinster, commented on the support offering by the Dublin-based motorbike insurance specialist:

   Blood Bikers do fantastic and noble work helping to transport vital medical supplies in times of need to save lives and make the work of NHS staff much easier. This is also a growing organization and one that deserves as much support and praise as possible.

   “We are truly grateful to Carole Nash who have sponsored us and provided our bike insurance for the fourth year running. Every penny adds up for our small charity and we are so appreciative of their support.”

   “We also take the Carole Nash Blood Bike teddy bear with us on our Blood Bike travels which has brought a smile on the face of many a poorly child.”

    

    

    

    

   Article supplied

3. Motorcycle Man Documentary

   Posted on 10:00am Friday 16th Apr 2021

   6th May - 9th May 2021  - Motorcycle Man Documentary

   The British Motorcyclists Federation is delighted to announce that an exclusive virtual screening of the documentary Motorcycle Man will be available from May 6-9 2021.
   Following the story of Dave Roper, the legend in his own lifetime who won the Isle of Man TT in 1984, Motorcycle Man looks at his life, times, career and thoughts on a life spent on two wheels.
   
   The 32-minute documentary has won a string of awards on the festival circuit and this will be the first time it has ever been screened in the UK. Better yet, the screening will also include a live Q&A session on the evening of May 9 with Roper himself and director Daniel Lovering.

   venue: Virtual Event
   price: $10 (approx £7.50ish) includes film screening and live Q&A with Dave Roper and the film maker.
   tel: 0116 279 5112
   website to watch
   facebook
   facebook event
   e-mail: [email protected]

   

4. We can all help to reduce motorcycle casualties, says GEM

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 7th Apr 2021

   ROAD SAFETY and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is keen to reduce motorcycle casualties as the new riding season gains momentum. Central to this, according to GEM, should be a focus for riders on boosting their skill and knowing their limits.

5. Manchester doubles amount of motorcycle parking, and it’s FREE

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 23rd Mar 2021

   The number of dedicated parking places for motorcycles in Manchester car parks has more than doubled – and they are all free! A review of motorcycle parking within the city showed that demand for parking exceeded the supply, and as a result a considerable number of motorcyclists were parking unofficially, and sometimes illegally.   

   There are now 127 dedicated motorcycle spaces; a mixture of on-street (63 spaces) and covered car parks (64 spaces), and full details are available on the council’s website at: https://secure.manchester.gov.uk/info/500346/city_centre_parking/332/motorcycles    

   The measures were informed by consultation with various motorcycle community groups and organisations such as the British Motorcycle Federation and Motorcycle Action Group. They told us that having spaces in car parks and on the ground or first floors, making sure they were well-lit and having CCTV coverage was important, along with anchor points or rails for chaining bikes to. All of these suggestions have been adopted.   

   A grace period informing motorcyclists of the new provisions will run from 12/03/21 – 6/05/21, where motorcyclists who are parked illegally will receive an information leaflet informing them of the new parking provisions across the city centre.  During the grace period motorcyclists will not receive a parking ticket. However, after the grace period ends, MCC will enforce penalties (£70 penalty, discounted to £35 if paid within 14 days of issue) for motorcyclists parking in the wrong place. This includes designated cycle parking spaces and racks. Motorcyclists can park in a normal pay and display bays anywhere across the city, provided that they purchase a pay and display ticket. It is advisable to write 'M' for motorbike and the registration number of the bike on the ticket before attaching this to the motorbike, to discourage theft.  

   A motorcycle parking policy will be produced in order to finalise and formalise the changes.