02 October 2024
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ACR Journal editor Andrew Slater caught up with the recently-retired Paul Airey to discover how he is making a valuable contribution to a potentially life saving Yorkshire voluntary service from the back of his motorbike.
After 40 years in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, with spells at Fujitsu General Air Conditioning UK and, more recently, distributor Oceanair, Paul Airey believes that while spending more time with his family is important, he still wants to help others.
Already a keen biker, he passed his Advanced Rider motorcycle qualification and signed up with Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes. This West Yorkshire-based charity provides a free, “out-of-hours” urgent transportation service for hospitals and hospices across Yorkshire. Volunteer, Advanced Qualified Riders work 12-hour shifts overnight and provide a 24-hour service at weekends.
“During normal weekday hours, the NHS has its own transportation service,” he explains. “But people don’t realise that out-of-hours, the delivery of urgent items such as blood and pathology samples, even urgent medications are often transported on an ad hoc basis by taxis and private couriers at huge expense to NHS Trusts.”
In 2023, the Yorkshire Blood Bike charity estimates that their voluntary service saved the NHS £126,866 by making 3408 journeys and travelling 91,190 miles completely free of charge to the NHS.
Paul added: “I always thought of Blood Bikers delivering bags of blood; I didn’t realise that the service they provide is of much more vital importance to the care and treatment of patients. As well as delivering vital medications to the homes of vulnerable patients, Whiteknights also make urgent deliveries of donated breast milk from donors to special care neonatal baby units often at very short notice. We will also link up with neighbouring Blood Bike groups to participate in national relays if a nationally transported consignment comes through our area.
“I get a huge sense of achievement by helping out. It’s very well run, which makes it much easier, and the team of volunteers are fantastic. I miss the air conditioning industry, but I still have ties organising the Northern Refrigeration Golf Society, which gives me a lot of focus.”
Established in 2008, Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes has a fleet of seven motorbikes, three of which are on duty every night of the year. This costs the charity between £5,000 and £6,000 per bike each year to operate. Fundraising is an essential income source, with estimates that for every £1 donated, the NHS and Hospices will save at least £5. Donations can be made via this link, or the QR code:
To find out more about the Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes, visit: https://whiteknights.org.uk/
