Motorbiking volunteers who cover Worcester have shifted into high gear following a significant donation by Severn Trent.
A grant of £12,000 awarded to Severn Freewheelers has funded a new motorbike, helping the delivery of essential medical supplies.
Severn Freewheelers is a charitable group composed of volunteers that transport vital resources including blood samples, medicines, X-rays, and even donated milk for premature babies to hospitals, health centres, and patients' homes across Gloucestershire, Hereford and Worcestershire areas and north Wiltshire.
Their service, critical for out-of-hours delivery, depends solely on donations and fundraisers.
A new motorbike, fittingly named 'Flo,' has been added to the fleet thanks to the substantial grant from Severn Trent's Community Fund.
Simon Grover, the fundraising manager at Severn Freewheelers, said: "We give our time for free but have no public funding, so rely on donations like this from Severn Trent and fundraising to exist.
"This new motorbike will help our team to continue to provide potentially life-saving deliveries across Gloucestershire and the other counties."
Mr Grover, a father of two and a Tesco delivery driver, is part of the organisation's dedicated team of volunteers, which has been operating since 2007.
Their commitment extends beyond normal work hours as they are often available from 7pm to 7am, Monday to Friday, and also during weekends and public holidays.
Speaking about the team, Mr Grover added: "Our volunteers are incredibly dedicated and just want to give something back to their community.
"Many have full time jobs, yet still give up their spare time to help others."
The Severn Freewheelers, completed more than 7,500 in 2023 with a team of around 150 volunteers, and nine bikes.
Jade Gough, an officer with the Severn Trent Community Fund, spoke highly of the group, saying: "Severn Freewheelers are a wonderful group of volunteers who are providing a much-needed service to people across Gloucestershire.
"We're delighted to be able to help pay for a new bike to support the amazing work their hardworking and committed volunteers do."
The fund intends to donate £10m from 2020-2025 to good causes across the Severn Trent region.
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