CLUB NEWS Leigh WI Our first meeting of the new year! We gathered to hear a presentation by Andrew Wiley on behalf of the Yeovil Free Wheelers Emergency Medical Couriers for South Somerset and Dorset, or the YFW Blood Bikes as they are more commonly called. We had all heard of them and seen them on their distinctive yellow and black motorbikes around the countryside but had never truly appreciated the incredible work that they do. They’re not part of the NHS but are a free, voluntary service which saves the NHS around £400,000 per annum.
The first service of its kind was started by a Margaret Ryerson in 1962; she ran it from her home and coordinated 850 bike riders by telephone. The concept was carried forward by others in different parts of the UK until, in 2008, they all got together under the banner NABB (National Blood Bikes) and formed a coordinated service for the whole of the UK. There are now 40 groups across UK and Ireland. The YFW have nine Triumph bikes which operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by volunteer drivers aged from 24 to 83. They must hold an advanced
riding qualification and most of them go on to gain further qualifications. The work they carry out is truly lifesaving. They have established a nationwide human donor milk collection and delivery service which is a vital component in the treatment and recovery of sick, premature babies. They transport blood and tissue samples from hospitals to laboratories as they can weave in and out of traffic more easily than the NHS vehicles.
They were certainly tested during the pandemic; their workload massively increased but they were unable to raise funds to run the service. BP offered all UK blood bike charities 10 weeks free petrol which helped, but they need £70,000 a year to keep the service running and it was touch and go for a while. We were impressed by the scale and the importance of the work they do and can highly recommend the talk to any other WI groups who are looking for a speaker with something different and worthwhile to say. Why do they do it? “A desire to give something back to the community and a love of bikes!” The next WI meeting will be on 22 February and the talk will be The Mayflower Marriages by Arminal DareBrown. Morag Orchard 43
