- Area:
- North West England
- Programme:
- Awards for All England
- Release date:
- 21 8 2012
A group of bikers who got together to deliver emergency blood supplies across Lancashire and the Lake District will be able to expand their free volunteer service thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
North West Blood Bikes (Lancs and Lakes), is part of a group of volunteers who deliver blood and other vital medical supplies through the night after realising how much money hospitals were having to spend on taxis and other out-of-hours transport.
Now, thanks to a £9,600 grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All programme, the group can buy a gleaming new Honda Deauville motorcycle that will help volunteer riders serve hospitals in Chorley, Preston, Ormskirk and Southport.
Paul Brooks, the group’s Chairman, said: “I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was sixteen but when I semi-retired I was wondering what I could do with my spare time. I got involved with the Blood Bikes and I haven’t looked back. It’s a great service but we rely totally on people’s goodwill so when organisations such as the Big Lottery Fund make a grant like this it makes a huge difference to us and importantly, it means money saved for the hospitals who can spend it on the patients instead.”
The Big Lottery Fund’s popular small grants scheme, Awards for All has given a total of 88 projects in the North West a share of £775,125 in this month’s round of awards.
Helen Bullough, Big Lottery Fund Head of the North West region, said: “This project is fantastic and is just a drop in the ocean of good causes that the Awards for All programme has supported. There’s plenty more funding to come and we want to hear from all community groups, charities and associations across the North West who may not realise just how quick and simple the application process is. The money is here so make sure you don’t miss out.”
BIG’s Awards for All programme offers grants of between £300 and £10,000 to social and environmental projects that will benefit local communities and make a difference to the lives of those most in need. Voluntary and community groups, schools, health organisations and parish and town councils can all apply.
See a full list of awards announced in the NW today
- 425KB
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