The
Freewheelers is a registered charity. It is run solely by volunteers
who are all dedicated motorcyclists. The charity is traditionally based in
the Weston-super-Mare area of Somerset (UK), but has riders from most
areas between Taunton and " hospitals in the Somerset and old Avon area".
We provide an emergency out
of hours courier service to several local hospitals for the transportation
of blood, drugs, samples, X-rays and other medical supplies - the
Freewheelers do NOT
transport donor organs. We offer this service free of charge as an
alternative to other methods that the hospital would have to pay for.
The
Freewheelers service is provided outside of normal working hours -
between 19:00 hrs and 07:00 hrs weekdays and from 19:00 hrs on Friday to
07:00 hrs on Monday. To do this we have a specially adapted motorcycles,
fitted with standard blue lights and sirens - enabling us to cut through
heavy traffic. We do not expect riders to take
risks when riding the bike - it is more important to arrive safely than not
at all.
All riders must attain a high
standard of bike control. Currently we require that all riders have passed
the
RoSPA or
IAM Advanced Test and are at least 25 years
old - due to insurance purposes. We are also arranging training with the
local police force.
People who do ride for the
Freewheelers usually have the bike for week.
When on call a rider must be able to answer the mobile phone and respond
should a hospital need out service - this could be 7pm or it may be 4am ! A
rider can use their discretion if they cannot perform a delivery, for
example
-
A hospital needs a delivery
within a time that is not safely possible.
-
Extreme weather conditions
(gales, snow/ice etc).
-
There is a problem with the
bike that cannot be fixed - a puncture or blown headlight bulb
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