Great video as always Andy and thank you for highlighting the work of Blood bikers. I ride for Cheshire Blood bikes and can highly recommend this to anyone, you hear some beautiful stories whilst doing the rounds of how the Blood bikes have helped various people which just reinforces why the role is so very important. It’s incredibly humbling to see ladies expressing milk daily to help the premature babies, there are some very kind hearted people in this world and we often forget that.
It's not just us bikers, a big shout out to all the controlers that keep is safe and the fundraisers that go to different venues and do talks to different people and organisations 👍👍 Thanks for the vid, great to give people insight to whats involved
Echo the comment about our controllers and fundraisers. Can be hard shifts in the middle of winter filtering on the M6. Not sure it’s been mentioned but we also move Poo … FMT Faecal matter transplant, timed to defrost as we transport it ready for inserting ! Our charity runs 24/7 365. Great to highlight what we do thank you.
Great to see Andy. Here in Australia we're in the early stages of providing this service, with about two years service thus far. During the height of Covid we also delivered thousands of tests from test sites to laboratories. I've been on board for a couple of years now. The main difference here is, however, we use our own bikes & pay for our fuel. All still volunteers as a last resort service.
Thank you Andy and Nigel for a great video, I and all the Trustees at SERV OBN are very grateful to you both for giving your time freely, we have been bowled over by the great comments made by your subscribers, looking forward to working with you in the future to further promote the great charity we all volunteer for.
Hi Andy, many thanks for doing this film and showing the great work our Blood bike volunteers do. As the Chair of a Blood Bike group we do rely on people like yourself spreading the word. As Nigel said we get no funding and have to put a increasing amount of effort to keep this free service going. Keep up the great work and once again on the blood bike family many thanks 👍👍
Thanks Andy for a great video in highlighting the work we do. I ride for Midland Freewheeler Blood Bikes. Many people think that we’re part of the NHS. When we tell them that we are volunteers they often look at us in disbelief! Best thing I’ve done and great to give something back.
Absolutely fantastic, people like Nigel give their time up for such a worthy cause. The volunteers of this country across a broad spectrum of things they do are the true heroes, not sports people or media, the volunteers deserve far more credit on the honours list each year, because with out them many a fine institute like the NHS would find it extremely difficult and costly to do such life saving work. And thank you Andy for giving us this insight into the day of a blood biker.
Thankyou Andy for doing this. Helping to bring more awareness of what we do as volunteer bloodbikers. Welldone to everyone doing their bit. Daz, BloodBikesWales.
American ambulance medic here. Mad respect for blood transporters. Never enough to go around and always in high demand with emergency departments (and soon enough, paramedics, as the prehospital blood trend takes off in North America) Was a little surprised about the milk but it makes perfect sense since the required equipment is pretty much identical
Great video! I have had the privilege of meeting a few of the local Blood Bikers and can honestly say that they are some of the nicest and dedicated people you could wish to meet! If you see one of these fine people at a fuel station and if you can afford to, offer to fill their tank or get them a brew. It's just paying it forward.
Nice to see Nigel is also encouraging future bikers. I also ride for the blood bikes and do some of the fund raising for the group at shops etc, and the best thing is letting the kids sit on the bikes.
A great video Mr Flyer, highlighting, not only the fantastic work the Bloodbikers do in their spare time, but also the great people like Maria who selflessly help other mothers and babies when they need it.
Legends. I dream of becoming a blood biker. I have had my old 125 for 3 years now and I have had my license for 2 years. I have just got my hands on a larger 500cc bike, and soon I will try my hand at the advanced courses to see if I can do it.
What an outstanding chap and his colleagues! I am an IAM member, but sadly I can no longer ride. If I could, I would do so in a minute. What a great bunch of people!
I've always wondered about Blood Bikers, and now I know a whole lot more, thanks! It's something I am interested in doing one day, so now I am going to look at what it takes to pass the Advanced Riding course!
Got my ROSPA advanced test next month, know a couple of the North Wales Blood riders anyway so hopefully I’ll be riding for them by the autumn, I’m a retired nurse so good to do something good in retirement..
Andy, Thank you for highlighting the work the Blood Bikers do. Nigel really captured why we chose to do this. So often we are out in the dead of night delivering so this publicity is hugely helpful to highlight our work for much needed fund raising. Great video as always.
I joined the Warwickshire and Solihull charity partly because I found that they deliver milk for premature babies, and we benefitted from those ladies’ kind donations ourselves a few years ago when our baby was born prematurely at the JR. It’s really rewarding work if anyone wants to commit some free time.
My bikes been off the road for some time now. It's been through stages any old bike has really being off the road and stuff but when you did the nod it took me right back! man I miss getting on roads like this. I don't see many blood bikes but I remember seeing some as a kid....Never knew it was voluntary thank you guys!
Wonderfully insightful video, Andy - superb as ever. And huge respect for the blood biking community and all those who give blood and, apparently, milk, to support the lives of others. Thanks also to Nige for sharing.
As a friend of a blood biker, who like Nigel and so many others don't flinch at their missions, I'm still amazed at the time my mate got the call one morning in mid-winter - when it was blowing a hooley, freezing cold and miserable - where he rides from his warm home in the New Forest, to Portsmouth and then to Swindon and then back to Winchester, whilst the rest of us are tucked up warm in bed. Awesome! And that's just one example of their dedication. The least we can do is donate a few quid. "Thanks for your service" also applies to these folk.
Blood bikes, RNLI, Air Ambulance charities and others usually don't wish to be funded by the UK Government due to the limitations this would have on their operations as a charity. Bloob bikes are also necessary because the after ours service that they provide would instead usually be done by private hire services obviously at a much greater cost to the hospital. During the day the sevice is covered by NHS logistical services. Thanks for the video Andy and thanks to all the volunteers and the contributors to Blood Biking Nationwide.
Brilliant episode mate. Thanks for spotlighting the work that these selfless people do to help the rest of us, I have nothing but admiration for them. And, thank you for filming and posting.
Interesting article. I was with Surrey and South London, so very much urban all over London hospitals, main blood banks at St Georges but we also used Coulsdon in north London. Totally enjoyed it, at all hours and over the weekends, you never knew what the next call would be. As Nigel said the bikes all have names and donations from all sorts of groups do help. We also covered things like prostate samples, run buy great groups like the Fleet Lions, so many volunteers working together doing it for free. Just one thing to add, it's not always sunny and dry 🙂 and as we say 'its what we do' regardless of weather or the time of day.
I am a Bloodbike controller (or coordinator as we call ourselves in our group). I have just organised a link in a relay delivery of a blood sample from Middlesbrough to Bristol tomorrow, quite a journey when you think about it, and done in the best time possible within the law, just like the old pony express in the states. One of the aims of the charity not specifically mentioned in the piece but obviously implied is to promote a positive image of motorcycling in the eyes of the public, which definitely benefits all motorcyclists.
Brilliant video. Thanks to you, and especially Nigel, for awareness of the incredible service provided by the Blood Bikers to needy people. You’re a special man bringing such interesting content to all of us around the world!! Special blessings to you and your family ✝️
It’s nice to see the GS back on film. Maria looked like a shocked off whippet when she opened the door. Nigel seems like a good bloke and he really can ride. I didn’t realise that the blood bikers carried so many different items
Very interesting Andy. Bless Nigel and others like him. It's not all summer days but year around. Their schedule 7pm to 7am may not be to everyone's liking. You can bet many owe their life to a fellow like him.
Fantastic video. Thank you for doing this and highlighting the amazing work these volunteers and unsung hero’s do for others. They are truly amazing people.
A great insight into the Blood Bikers. Top people, giving their time up for free. I was surprised to learn about the milk. Great respect for people like Maria too.
Well done Andy, great video. Interesting to hear about the charity first hand and the work they do. I have a friend who has been a rider for them for 25 years and was presented with a long service medal for his service. Thank you to Nigel and his colleagues for the valuable work they do.
Thank you Andy for this video. Love your channel and the variety of videos you work so hard at producing. This was a perfect example. Hoping to become a Blood Biker myself sometime, and learnt loads! Thank you again! 👏
What a wonderful video. I have to admit that I can watch most of your videos and do other things, but I was really plugged into this one. Blood Bikers is such a wonderful idea. One that you highlighted so well! You do good work.
Have just volunteered for the bloodbike voluntary service. These guys need more recognition for their voluntary service….they even have to supply their own helmets and comms as well as all the kit. The thought of doing 12 hour night shifts in the depth of winter isn’t that pleasant but is what is required. As well as delivering blood and breast milk, they also deliver meds to patients who can’t get them when discharged from hospital, delivering to their homes. Looking forward to doing my bit.
Thank you for this informative outline of the Blood Bikes. My most unusual ‘shout’ was to take snake antidote from City hospital in Birmingham over to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. We also regularly take chemotherapy chemicals mixed at a specific time and delivered for a waiting child patient in Birmingham. All too regularly, we also deliver evidence samples taken from victims for analysis on a direct run into the lab in B’ham. During Covid, we had the roads to ourselves as we collected and delivered from the early sampling sites for analysis. Nice that you mentioned the cold, dark and wet times as well as the sunny days.
Loved this video, great work Andy, and well done Nigel and Maria. As a Northumbria Blood Biker, I would encourage anyone to get involved. Plenty of opportunities for Non riders too, controllers, drivers and fundraising. I thoroughly enjoy it and more riding is always good...!
Hi,,don't normally make comments but on this occasion I feel a big thank you to all blood bikers and all doners is deserved. I also find it hard to believe that these kind of service's are not government funded. Thanks for your videos Andy
Great video, Andy. Thanks for publicising the work of Blood Bikes. Just finished a control shift here in Forth Valley for Blood Bikes Scotland so very relevant.
I’ve ridden a Blood Bike for several years and love it, well not quite so much in winter although below a certain temperature you have to use a car for safety, which is understandable. I probably do more blood bike miles than I do personal miles now, I’m sure it improves your riding skills just being on the bike so regularly, for longish periods of time doing fairly substantial distances.
I think this was a really nice way of promoting this amazing charity. well done Andy. great work.. ( I have a friend that did blood running to help towards her becoming a fireperson)
Think I've said this before but that's a professional level of video filming . The whole video was entirely entertaining and the subject fascinating. Answering all my blood biker questions. You sir should be on the main stream TV . Thanks for such a brilliant video. 👏
I ride for White Knights Yorkshire Blood Bikes in South Yorkshire. It's a privilege to use our riding skills as part of a life saving and life improving medical team.
That is, stand out, the single most impressive video you have done (and beautifully edited - you're getting quite good at this)! Informative and thought-provoking. Thanks Andy. You should have a link to your vid on the news page of the bloodbikes site...?
Great video , great cause! - to my knowledge we don't have blood bikers in Oz. (We do have first responder paramedics on bikes ) Thanks for highlighting this wonderful voluntary service to the British community. Cheers!
As always, really good video! What a great group of people the blood bikers are. When I have more time (and an advanced qualification) it’s something I’d like to do here in Norfolk.
For those living in the North West of England should check out NWBB. Not all riders are advanced and many use their own bike if it's suitable and their insurance allows. NWBB is also the biggest group
I would concur with Nigel, its a great thing to do. I’ve been riding for about 5 years now as well as working full time. I give around 2 days a month to help run our 24/7 operation. It’s good for your riding skills and self discipline as well as being good for the soul. Anyone remotely interested should seek out their local group, we are always keen to welcome new members. My group is Midland Freewheelers and we cover the Midlands area. Thank you for the airtime Andy.
What a fantastic job they do which they should be paid for. Well done to all the various companies, groups that financial support these amazing people who give up their time for free
@@TheMissendenFlyer good point you made, Andy, that this should be funded properly by the NHS. My wife is an NHS first responder and I've always had misgivings about her effectively subsidising the NHS with her free work, especially at a time when the Govt has spent it's time running the NHS into the ground.
I work at a large hospital (25 miles from home). Completed my advanced motorcycle training/IAM member and applied to join my local blood group. Unfortunately they turned down my application as I live too far away. If you are thinking of joining, check their operating area.
I did look into this few years back, and would love to help out, but the reality of life is, if you have a day job Monday to Friday, you can't be out there, riding through nights. Shame there isn't much of that through afternoons till midnight, as that's about what I could offer.
Excellent content for the channel. I find those volunteers, both donors and transport riders, Top Shelf….🎩-Tip to all. Gotta say Andy, you managed to mention “capers” & “shenanigans” in one Vlog…👍🏼👍🏼
Nice vid Andy. I volunteer with one of the neighbouring groups. We do similar stuff, but mainly on our own bikes and fuel (RT in my case). A lot of the work is at night as you mention and a shift can easily top 200 miles. Great at this time of year. I do it because the NHS got me through a very sticky patch and it seemed right to pay something back. Thanks for waving the flag, so many folk think we are paid for our time and fuel. Love doing it though.
