A motorcycle that starred alongside Robert Downey Jnr in two Iron Man films is the last guest bike to appear at MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester) as part of the Customising, Culture and Harley-Davidson, before the exhibition closes on 30th October. For the last week of the exhibition MOSI is offering a 2 for 1 deal on all adult tickets.

The Junk Yard Phantom motorcycle includes junk metal parts and was created by Japan-based Zero Engineering, which now counts Brad Pitt amongst its customers. The 2004 bike, which is part of a rolling programme of guest motorcycles in the exhibition, includes parts from scrapyards, such as a 1930's exhaust pipe. It appeared in Iron Man in a junk yard scene with Robert Downey Jnr, and has since led to a new style of pared down, minimalist Harley-Davidson motorbike customisation.

Junk Yard Phantom is one of nearly 40 motorcycles featured in the exhibition, from early Harley-Davidson bikes to the very latest in customised motorcycles, many of which have never been displayed to the public before. It includes models from the UK, Germany, Japan and the US. Each bike has its own story, from a rare 1909 model built in the first decade of Harley-Davidson’s production heritage, to the 1956 KH motorcycle like the one Elvis Presley rode, to the 1948 Ice Road Panhead, which defied motorcycle capabilities in conditions of minus 53 degrees, to complete an expedition to the Arctic.

Exhibition organiser Chris Scott of Claridon said: “Junk Yard Phantom is a fantastic example of a new type of creative customisation for Harley-Davidson motorbikes and I’m delighted to feature the bike as the finale guest in our exhibition. This is the last chance to see the Customising, Culture & Harley Davidson exhibition so please take advantage of our fantastic 2 for 1 offer during the October half term week.”

The exhibition includes a section on the tradition of radically customised Harley-Davidson® motorcycles, two of which have been created especially for the exhibition.

The exhibition also looks at the bike builders, owners and enthusiasts who have embraced the customisation culture to create a unique machine that truly reflects their individual personality and sense of style, as well as the groups that enjoy the freedom that the Harley-Davidson lifestyle has to offer.

All Harley-Davidson bikes are manufactured in Milwaukee, USA, but the almost endless array of available aftermarket parts and accessories worldwide provides radical customisation opportunities and enables owners to realise their own personal dream machine. A full list of all motorcycles in the exhibition is available.

The exhibition is created by the Claridon Group and MOSI. It is the first time ever that an exhibition has showcased the historic and radical customs of Harley-Davidson® motorcycles and the culture surrounding them.

Customising, Culture and Harley-Davidson now runs until 30th October.

MOSI is offering 2 for 1 offer during 22-30 October for adults. Usual price is: Adults £8, Concessions £6.50, HOG Members £6.50, Children (5-16) £2; Under 5s Free; Family £20 (2 adults, 3 children). Tickets can be bought from the MOSI Information Desk in the Great Western Warehouse or at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by calling 0844 847 2261 (24 hours)*

*order processing fee applies to telephone or online sales

For more information on MOSI look up www.mosi.org.uk

Xmas Toy Run - Sunday 11th December
 
Meeting at the Ace from 7am to depart the cafe at 10.30am, visiting the children's wards of London hospitals, all are welcome to bring gifts of games and toys, wrapped and labelled for age groups and gender. Please note that sweets cannot be given to children in hospital, but can be given to the nursing staff!  There will be prizes for the "Best Dressed Bike" and "Best Dressed Rider".
 
Paws n' Claws Run - Sunday 18th December
 
One week after the Toy Run and again meeting at the cafe from 7am to depart the cafe at 10.30am, to attend the Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Rise, NW10, which this year celebrates its 125th anniversary!  Entirely funded by and dependent upon public support, the Mayhew welcomes all to bring gifts, to include towels, blankets (used as bedding) as well as pet food and treats for cats and dogs.
 
www.mayhewanimalhome.org
 
On the same day, why not join us for the cafe's annual candlelit Xmas Carol Service, from 7pm, followed by complimentary hot, oven fresh, mince pies!
  
www.ace-cafe-london.com
www.acecafeevents.com

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:

The ghost of William Houldsworth, will be conducting tours around the historical Houldsworth Mill in Reddish on 30th October, just in time for Halloween. 

Also throughout the day at there will be a Craft Fair, Face Painting, Treat or Treat, the Halloween inspired Hells Gate Attraction, which features live actors, special effects, lazers and much much more...

Local man Chris, will be dressing up as William Houldsworth to give a free guided tour around the mill, with interesting facts and tales from the past.

Houldsworth Mill, which dates back to 1865 and a Grade II listed building, was constructed by Henry Houldsworth, a prominent mill owner at the time.  It has been home to a variety of businesses over the years and today you will find various shops and businesses that offer an unique shopping experience, including Lucas Cafe, Gothic Angel Crafts, Stans DIY, In Stiches, Kidz Stuff and more...

date: 30th October, 2011

venue: Houldsworth Mill Shopping Centre, Houldsworth Street, Reddish, SK5 6DA

times: Open from 10am until 6.30pm, with the following schedule;

Shops open from 10am

Cafe open from 10am til 6pm

Craft Fair 10am til 4pm

Hells Gate Attraction 4pm til 6.30pm 

William Houldsworth tour throughout the day

www.houldsworthmillshoppingcentre.co.uk

For more details contact Ray on 07961 601136

SERV – The Emergency Blood Transport Charity who already provide an emergency out of hours blood transport service, free of charge to local hospitals (including Northampton & Kettering General) and more recently rolled out their service transporting life saving donated breast milk to the Human Milk Banks, have now been asked to extend its service to include transporting urgent samples to Birmingham to test for a condition that can be potentially fatal to an unborn child.   Karen Spreckley - Blood Transfusion Laboratory Manager, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust explains; “Northampton General Hospital processes all the blood group and antibody, and infectious disease screening antenatal  work for the whole of the East Midlands population. Now whilst this screening work is routine initially, it sometimes throws up the fact that a woman has a red cell antibody (about 3% of all cases) that can adversely affect her baby (worst case scenario is death of the baby). Where certain types of these antibodies exist – Anti-D or Anti-c, we have to send the samples to the Blood Service in Birmingham for additional testing, and this all has to be done quickly in order that the mother and baby can be treated if required”   Haemolytic disease of the newborn is a condition where antibodies in a pregnant woman’s blood can attack her baby's blood cells.

Haemolytic disease of the newborn, caused by Anti-D is usually the most severe form, but this can be prevented with an injection of anti-D immunoglobulin during pregnancy and at delivery. This scheme has reduced the number of cases of Haemolytic disease of the newborn, caused by Anti-D in the UK, by 90%. The injection is given to women with Rhesus negative blood and prevents the woman developing the Anti-D antibodies that can attack the baby’s blood.

If Haemolytic disease of the newborn is left untreated, the effects can be jaundice in the newborn baby which can lead to learning difficulties, deafness, and blindness and in severe cases death, either before birth, or shortly afterwards.   SERV expect to carry out over 1,000 life saving runs in this region throughout 2011, however demand on the service could dramatically increase by 50% as result of these runs to Birmingham.

The charity is looking for riders or drivers who hold or are working towards an advanced riding/driving qualification.

SERV also needs to raise funds to purchase an additional dedicated emergency response bike to help meet the increased demand.

A dedicated response bike costs around £7,000 to purchase and a further £3,000 per year, a dedicated response car costs £3,000 to set up + £3,400 per annum lease

If you are able to give just 3-4 evenings or a weekend per month as a rider/driver/controller or fundraiser or are able to help with funding please contact SERV’s publicity officer Danny Bateman - [email protected] or visit www.serv.org.uk for more details.