The Tees shipping community has come to the rescue to support a local charity that delivers blood for the NHS.
The Tees & Hartlepool Port Users Association (THPUA), the region’s lobbying group for the shipping industry, gave a donation to Tees-based charity, Bloodrun EVS towards purchasing a new motorbike so it can continue to do the invaluable work it does.
Mark Williams, a Captain for THPUA member company, Tees Bay Pilots and a relatively new volunteer and biker for Bloodrun EVS, made the THPUA aware of the charity and its need for funding. Mr Williams said: “In critical situations, blood and other urgent medical items must be delivered immediately, in order to save a patient’s life. The bikes enable us to get through the traffic quickly and safely but they can cost around £10,000 to purchase second hand, so we need to undertake a significant amount of fundraising to generate this amount of money.”
Mr Williams continued: “Our team are predominately involved in delivering blood samples for testing and also in getting blood to a patient quickly for a blood transfusion. We carry out this service free of charge for the NHS, ensuring that the NHS’ limited resources are available when and where they are needed.”
Gill Dixon, Bloodrun EVS’ secretary said: “We are particularly appreciative of the donation as, as is the case for most of the charity and voluntary sectors, our fundraising efforts have been severely curtailed for the last 18 months. Our charity is manned entirely by unpaid volunteers, so the generous support of organisations like the THPUA make it possible for our organisation to exist, enabling us to assist the NHS and to save them money which can be directed towards front line services.”
Christian Melvin, the THPUA treasurer presented a cheque for £500 to the charity. He said: “We’re pleased to be able to support Bloodrun EVS and hopefully this donation will encourage other organisations to consider supporting them too.”