Kent engineer leads double life as midnight bike rider saving lives
Bloodrunner charity carried out more than 3,300 emergency rides in Kent last year
A Kent-based manager for Openreach, BT’s local network business, leads a double life that can involve him being out and about on the county’s roads during the midnight hours.
When he’s not at work running a team of engineers responsible for maintaining power supplies for the phone and broadband network, Neil Corse is a volunteer blood biker making life-saving emergency blood deliveries across Kent.
Neil has been a blood biker for 4 years and is part of a 150 strong charity, called the SERV Kent - Bloodrunners, that work through the nights and weekends to make sure vital blood supplies can reach local hospitals.
Neil, 55, who lives in Tunbridge Wells and is based at offices in Sevenoaks, said: “Some of the work we do is time-critical and there are occasions when every second really does count. An early morning bike delivery can mean that I lose some sleep but it’s nothing an early night can’t fix the next day. I ride a Yamaha FJR1300 motorbike, that SERV Kent - Bloodrunners provides, and deliver a variety of essential medical items including blood between hospitals and healthcare institutions.”
David Brown, secretary and trustee at SERV Kent - Bloodrunners, said: “Volunteers like Neil give up their time for free and pay for the fuel used on the runs and are out in all types of weather conditions. The charity successfully completed more than 3,300 emergency rides last year.”
SERV (Service by Emergency Response Volunteers) Kent - Bloodrunners is a charity that started in 1982. The charity provides free transportation of blood, blood products, samples, equipment, medicines and other patient essential items to and from the hospitals and hospices of Kent, patient addresses and the Kent Air Ambulance. These services are provided by a team of volunteers including riders, drivers and controllers 365 nights a year and all day at weekends and bank holidays.
To find out more about the Kent Bloodrunners and for details or how to make a donation, please visit http://www.servkent.co.uk/
