A LOCAL ‘Blood Bikes’ volunteer has received a royal award from the King.
Peter Hardwick is part of a team of 150 volunteers in the south-west Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service which has been awarded a Coronation Medal, a commemorative medal created to mark the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The group transports blood samples, medications, baby milk and medical items by motorbike to hospitals in the area.
“It’s fantastic to receive this award, I have never had anything like this before,” says Peter, “Being able to do what we do gives you hairs on the back of your neck.
“People are so grateful and I have had one man stop me at Trowbridge Hospital and tell me what a fantastic work I was doing and that his brother could have died 10 years ago if it wasn’t for the Blood Bikes Service.
“I decided I wanted to do this to give something back, after my late wife passed away. She was in hospital for three and a half years. The NHS looked after her so well.
“Volunteers are on duty for deliveries 7pm to 7am and all day at the weekends from 7pm on a Friday right through to midnight on the Sunday. We also help out on bank holidays too. There’s a lot of robust training involved to be able to do the shifts and you have to be able to do it in all conditions. I’ve been riding for 20 years now so I am used to it.”
Peter, also a full-time painter and decorator, says the group organise fundraising events during the year to raise funds.
“The fundraising events can be anything from supermarket collections, motorcycle and vehicle shows, school fetes, and emergency services events,” he said.
In the past year, the group has completed over 7,500 tasks and travelled over 200,000 miles with no cost to the NHS. For more information about the group, visit https://freewheelers.org.uk
