On the 19th March 2009 we had a very interesting presentation and what turned out to be a recruitment drive (as they are short of volunteers) by Peter Rolfe the Kent and Essex coordinator for SERV.
The group had raised a total of £200 for the charity as a tribute to Winston Sim who died before Christmas 2008, and a certificate marking this donation was presented to the group and handed over to John, the Branch Sec.
SERV stands for "Service Emergency Rider Volunteers" which is a charity set up to provide a service to the National Health -and they transport blood from the regional blood bank to local hospitals as a top-up service to ensure the hospitals have a constant stock of blood.
Peter explained that the blood they deliver isn't generally pumped straight into a waiting patient but replenishes what stock the hospital is holding either for specific operations or accidents that occur on a daily basis.
The riders are not funded except by donations from the public but they have had some sponsorship from Suzuki and Honda, with Devitts insuring the vehicles.
Riders need to be of a good caliber and are not chosen for the ability to ride at speed but for their safety and effectiveness. training to IAM standard is required and this can be funded by the charity for interested volunteers.
More information about the group can be found on their website - http://www.serv.org.uk/home/default.aspx . If you are interested in joining the group as a volunteer rider they are hopeful of having a London Group set up during this year. Don't be shy come forward. |
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We also held a raffle for the evening and Keith's wife Mary, provided some lovely examples of her baking skills: Baclava and Apple Pie. The group members were very generous and for the raffle and food we raised a grand total of £73.50 (£60 on the raffle and the rest on food donations). There were some members who thought baclava was a type of headgear to keep you warm but eventually they were enlightened and turned on to some new pastries.
We had a brilliant turnout by the group as can be seen by the attached photos. The money collected will be distributed to charity over the e next few weeks.
Thanks to everyone who turned up - we hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks also to Peter and his helper Chris (the IT man)who made the effort and long trek north of the river, to tell us about the group. Well done lads ! |
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