Local Blood Bike group receives a new blood bike thanks to the generosity of the Mark Benevolent Fund

On 3 April, Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes took delivery of a brand-new BMW 1250 RT in a presentation made by Mr Dennis Hill, Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire and Shropshire Mark Master Masons, who was representing the Mark Benevolent Fund.  The Mark Benevolent Fund has generously donated funds totalling £750,000 to all blood bike groups in the country to enable them to purchase a blood bike or blood car. 

Present at the handover of the bike were Sir Ian Dudson KCVO CBE, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, representing the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Mr Tony Morris-Eyton DL, representatives of the Mark Master Masons of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire Freemasons, trustees and members of the charity.

Last year Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes celebrated its 10th Anniversary – 10 years of serving local NHS hospitals, all by 100% volunteers. The charity launched in 2014 in Shropshire and Staffordshire and incorporated Cheshire in 2016. In 2017, they were proud to have the Lord Lieutenants of Staffordshire and Shropshire become the charity’s Patrons and have enjoyed their support to this day. In August 2018 they were given the Queen’s Award for Voluntary organisations, a recognition of the contribution they had made to the local community and their local hospitals.     In those first 10 years their blood bikes travelled 2,055,897 miles and made 43,580 deliveries. The volunteers have been staunch and amazing, helping develop  partnerships with the NHS Trusts, hospices, blood banks and the Birmingham Microbiome  Centre and much more.