So, how's your pandemic going? We know, it’s been rough in different ways for just about everyone, except maybe your pets if you’ve been working from home. While we all wish we weren’t in this situation, seeing outfits like the Blood Bikes UK volunteer group step up to help has been nothing short of inspiring.
It’s not just a few of us who think so, either. Bloodbikes Australia quickly formed after seeing what a great job the UK team was doing, and it celebrated its one-year birthday in November, 2020. If you’re unfamiliar with either group, they’re volunteer organizations of motorcycle riders who rush PPE, samples, blood, breast milk, and other medical items to and from healthcare providers and labs as needed. Time is of the essence, and riders can definitely make a difference. You may even think of joining or starting your own version of a group like this after finding out more.
Anyway, back in February, 2020, Avon Tyres and its parent company, Cooper Tire Europe, decided that they wanted to help the Leicestershire and Rutland Blood Bikes fleet. To that end, they supplied the bike fleet with Avon Spirit ST motorcycle tires, as well as some Avon ZT7 tires for the charity’s van.
More Helping Hands:
“Avon Tyres is proud to be supporting the life-saving Leicestershire and Rutland Blood Bikes service. We offer reliable, high performance tires which deliver when time is of the essence – a challenge the LRBB faces every day. We wish the volunteers a safe and successful 2020,” Avon Tyres marketing director Michiel Kramer said in a statement at the time.
Of course, little could the LRBB riders, Avon Tyres, or Cooper Tire Europe know what the remainder of 2020 would bring. They also couldn’t know how important that gift of tires would end up being, as LRBB covered its 979-square-mile area on a regular basis throughout the year.
“I wanted to say thank you on behalf of the group for the support from Avon Tyres throughout 2020. The feedback we received from the team was very positive and tire wear on the motorbikes improved when using Avon Tyres products. Little did we know how the year was to change so dramatically, and the cost savings were all the more beneficial to our group,” LRBB General Committee Vice Chairman Jonathan Bostock said in a statement.
“We are proud to have been supporting the outstanding efforts of the Leicestershire & Rutland Blood Bikes group over the past year. As the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the group’s importance and value to the community around them was only highlighted further. We are delighted that Avon Tyres could play an integral part in the delivery of their service,” Cooper Tire Europe Head of Marketing and Communication Cecilia Razeto responded.
It’s a good reminder that, no matter if you’re one person, or you’re a person of power in a larger company, there are all kinds of ways you can help people in your community. You just have to want to do it, and you have to be willing to try.
Sources: Rider Magazine, Avon Tyres