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Category: Charity

  1. Motorcycle Law Scotland Helps Highlight Breast Way Round

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    As part of Motorcycle Law Scotland’s commitment to supporting Scotland’s motorcyclists, the specialist legal service has provided a Scottish charity’s motorcycling fundraisers with bright pink, high-visibility vests.

    “Every year, Breast Way Round raises tens of thousands of pounds for Macmillan Cancer Support by organising bike runs and other events,” said Brenda Mitchell of Motorcycle Law Scotland, Scotland’s only legal service specialising in providing advice and representation to motorcyclists and their families in the aftermath of a road traffic accident. “These eye-catching vests will help to ensure Breast Way Round’s motorcyclists are easily spotted by other road users, helping to keep them safe while also increasing awareness of this excellent charity, which, like Motorcycle Law Scotland, is run by motorcyclists."

    Breast Way Round was founded in 2007 by Shirley-Ann McKnight to boost the profile of Scotland’s female motorcyclists and raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. ”When Shirley-Ann’s best friend and fellow motorcyclist, Alyson Porter, was diagnosed with cancer, Alyson received a lot of help from Macmillan Cancer Support,” said Jill Polanski of Breast Way Round. “Tragically, Alyson died soon after our first charity bike run but, so far, we have raised over £180,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.”

    Breast Way Round’s main fundraiser is an annual four-day bike run for 80 female motorcyclists and 20 male motorcyclists exploring Scotland’s west coast.  “The Breast Way Round Bike Run is a fantastic experience – and a great way to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support,” said Jill. “In fact, many of the Breast Way Round girls have taken to two wheels just to be part of what we do.

    “During the run, we stick bright pink mohicans onto our helmets and, now we have new – and equally bright - pink vests to wear over our leathers, we’ll certainly knock people’s socks off! There’ll be no mistaking the Breast Way Round bikers on this year’s run. We can’t thank Motorcycle Law Scotland’s enough for their support,” continued Jill, as she was presented with the vests at the Bikers’ Cove in South Queensferry, one of Scotland’s top motorcycling destinations.

    As well as being one of Scotland’s leading motorcycle accident lawyers, Brenda Mitchell is also a motorcyclist and has taken part in one of Breast Way Round’s girls-only track evenings at Knockhill Race Circuit and will be riding in this year’s charity bike run. “Breast Way Round is a great way to meet fellow female motorcyclists while also raising funds for a very worthwhile cause,” said Brenda.

    “Motorcycle Law Scotland aims to support Scotland’s motorcyclists in as many ways as possible – what better way than by helping a group of female motorcyclists who are promoting motorcycling in such a positive way?”

    www.breastwayround.com

    www.motorcyclelawscotland.co.uk

  2. Skydive for NABD

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    NABD's oldest and  youngest reps David Silburn and Venessa Downes are going to do tandem skydives.

    We are now looking to raise as much as possible for NABD so we need lots of lovely people to sponsor us. The oldest rep is 68 years old!

    You can donate online at www.everyclick.com/skydivefornabd

    The cost of the dive has been sponsored by Bikesure.

    venue: Beccles Airfield, Suffolk, NR34 7TE price: Sponsorship online donation www.everyclick.com/skydivefornabd
    tel: 07803 843688
    website: www.nabd.org.uk

    4th March, 2012

  3. Calling All Bikers... We need your help now! An appeal by NABD

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    The National Association For Bikers with a Disability (NABD) is in its twentieth year with a very proud record of helping around 10,000 disabled people to enjoy the freedom and independence of motorcycling.

    Throughout this time we have remained dedicated to our belief that registered charities such as ours should not spend vast amounts of money on wages, expenses and fancy offices. To this end we have remained a voluntary organisation with only two employees (two lovely ladies who take care of the office and daily administration) and we have one of the least generous and most restrictive system of expense claims in the charity world. Our office and storage facility is small industrial unit on an industrial estate. The NABD is also one of those extremely rare charities that have guaranteed for twenty years that 100% of every donation has been used specifically for the purpose it was donated.
     
    Unfortunately, like everybody else, the NABD has been hit hard by this current recession and now we need your support more than ever before.

    Many bikers all over Britain get involved in raising money for a wide range of charities but most seem to support massively oversubscribed charities that already have millions of pounds in the bank like Children In Need, Comic Relief, Help For Heroes or Cancer Research. We all know that these charities provide much needed services and support for deserving people but the fact remains that they have vast resources and they enjoy huge support from all parts of society.
     
    To give you an idea of what I'm talking about; on just one day in 2011, Children in Need raised more than £26 million in the UK. Comic Relief raised £74 million in 2011. Cancer Research raised an almost unbelievable £433 million in 2010 and each of these charities gets huge support from within the motorcycle scene.
     
    The NABD has to rely purely on support from within the motorcycle scene and although this support has previously enabled us to become the world leaders in the field of motorcycling for disabled people and this in turn has given us the ability to develop new and better solutions to the problems faced by disabled motorcyclists, we have recently seen a marked fall-off in support from motorcyclists and motorcycle groups. And we do not need millions; in fact the best financial year in our history featured total donations of little over £68,000.
     
    One of the most important aspects of the services offered by the NABD is our system for making financial grants to help disabled riders to pay for the necessary adaptations to bikes, trikes and sidecar outfits. Now for the first time since 1999 we have been forced by the current financial situation to suspend this grants system due to lack of funds.
     
    It is our fervent hope that this awful situation is a temporary one, but without a marked resurgence in support from within the motorcycle scene this much needed service, and others, will not be available to those fellow bikers who need it so much if they are to regain their freedom and independence through motorcycling.
     
    Please don't leap to the incorrect conclusion that the NABD is in danger of disappearing, this is not the case and nor will it be the case in the foreseeable future. However, in the current economic climate, more people than ever are requesting our help and we have already paid or agreed to over £74,000 worth of grants in the 8 months of this financial year. To put that into perspective, our previous record in one entire year was just over £70,000. Whilst we can afford to pay for these, we cannot, at the present time, agree to any more. We simply don’t have the money.
     
    The NABD needs your support now. If your club is having a party, why not make it a fund-raiser for the NABD? Why not ask your local bikers pub to run a raffle or a party to raise funds for the NABD? Or you could simply become a member of the NABD for £20 (you don't have to be disabled to join and support our aims). You can buy NABD supporters patches and other NABD merchandise via the shop on www.nabd.org.uk we also have You've Been Nabbed 21 rally tickets for sale via the web site or by calling 0844 415 4849

    Please help the NABD in its hour of need, it's the biker’s charity and bikers are the only people who make it all work.
     
    Donations can be sent to: NABD, Unit 20, The Bridgewater Centre, Robson Avenue, Urmston, Manchester, M40 7TE or you can donate on line www.nabd.org.uk or by phone 0844 415 4849
     
    The NABD, is a biker's charity run by bikers for bikers with disabilities and it needs your help now...
     
    Rick Hulse
    NABD Chairman

  4. The Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes

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    ...is the umbrella organisation representing 12 regional blood bike charities, all providing a motorcycle based, free delivery service to the NHS; moving vital medical supplies, blood and pathology samples from medical centres and hospitals throughout the UK.

    Recently NABB member groups have become involved in the transport of frozen human milk from the donor to the milk processing hospitals. This has been a real life saver due to the necessity of very premature babies intolerance to anything but human milk.

    Run entirely by volunteers, NABB member groups have over 700 active members with a fleet of 35+ emergency response motorcycles. All NABB riders have an Advanced Riding qualification, are trained in the movement of medical essentials and operate from individual regional charities, but with a common goal, to alleviate suffering and reduce the funding pressures on the NHS.

    NABB was formed in 2010 and is chaired by Gloucestershire man, Gordon Downie.

    Severn Freewheelers are the regional Blood Bike group operating in Gloucestershire, Hereford & Worcester and North Wiltshire. Over 70 volunteers help Severn Freewheelers carry out their much needed service. Severn Freewheelers run 4 x BMW R1200RTs and a Honda Deauville, all emergency response equipped and handle some 3000 call outs per annum.

    www.bloodbikes.org.uk

  5. Journey of a Blood Biker

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    While most of the UK’s population is sleeping, Roger is riding his Honda bike with a precious cargo on-board. He is delivering blood to hospitals in the surrounding areas.

    A volunteer with the charity SERV, he uses his own free time and resources to give something back to the community.  The charity SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers) delivers emergency blood, medical equipment and drugs at night to local hospitals safely, quickly and reliably.

    Volunteers - known as Blood Runners, can be called out at a moments notice, to transport the vital cargo to its final destination. The charity provides a vital service completely free of charge and on a voluntary basis, 365 nights of the year.   Dealing with something as critical as a person’s life, Roger relies on his Honda bike to get him there quickly and safely – delivering the vital blood to the waiting medical staff on time...

    This article is sponsored by Honda

    For more information, see here:

    Journey of a Blood Biker