Blood Bike Presentation
 
On Friday August the 17th WBro. N.B. Hesketh and myself set off on the 0817 train from Preston to the Birmingham International. We then went by taxi to the National Conference Centre to attend the presentation of the Blood Bikes and Cars supplied by the Mark Benevolent Fund.
Entrance to the National Conference Centre
On arriving at the Conference Centre the focus of the event was clearly evident ref.photo.1 and after registration we joined the other representatives from Provinces far and wide, and representatives of the various Blood Bike organisations who were being presented with the “keys” of their machines.
The proceedings commenced with a welcome address from the Grand Secretary RWBro. Ryan Williams who is also the Honorary Secretary of the MBF. This was followed by a short video presentation about the work the MBF and the National Blood Bike Association and what they have achieved over the past ten years, this was accompanied by the song “Proud” sung by Heather Small and M People the chorus of which is “What Have You Done Today to Make You Feel Proud”
Entrance looking outwards
There then followed an address by the Peter Robertson, Chairman of the National Association of Blood Bikers he explained how the two parties came together, this being as a result of a conversation between himself and the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Northumberland on how the Blood Bike Association could be brought to the attention of the public and be given a higher profile, and so the seed was sown. Graham Moore, Head of Marketing of the NABB (National Association of Blood Bikers) thanked the MBF for their generosity and informed those assembled that it this was the single biggest donation received by the Association, he expanded on the work done by the NABB and how these new bikes and cars would be used to transport blood and various other needs of the NHS. He stressed that it was purely voluntary and no monies were received from the NHS and that some seventy two NHS trusts were being helped. In 2012 the Blood Bikes did 25,000 jobs for the NHS in 2017 this had risen to 74,000 so the need for the bikes is clearly illustrated. The NABB has 3,500 volunteers throughout the country.
Presentation of keys and Certificate (Northumberland)
The VWBro. Revd. Bruce Harry Grand Chaplain then Dedicated the vehicles, he gave a short oration on the meaning of dedication before blessing some of the sixteen bikes and ten cars which were being handed over, with Holy Water.
RWBro. Tony Morris Deputy President of the MBF gave a brief history of the MBF and the work it does. Founded in 1868 By the Revd. Canon George Raymond Portal, the aim of which being to help poor and distressed Mark Master Masons and their immediate family to date over £& million has been disbursed in grants to individual petitioners, the money being raised by Mark Masons throughout the world. The total amount of grants to various charities and worthy causes is over £20 million since 1868.
National Motorcycle Museum
As already stated the MBF became aware of the work of the Blood Bikes following an application from Northumberland Blood Bikes, this was followed by other applications as word spread about the work of the MBF
It was decided by the MBF that the money raised from the “Walk in the Park” in 2017 which involved walking through all the Royal Parks in central London and the seven-mile route of The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk. (Members of our Executive took part in this event). The donations received from this walk raised the sum of £437,934 and it was decided that this money should be used to provide motor cycles and cars for the Blood Bike Association, thus giving something back to the Brethren of the Provinces, and all Blood Bike Charities in England and Wales to apply for funding for a new vehicle. The presentation also coincided with “Blood Bike Awareness Day.”  The MBF supports some twenty six Blood Bikes organisations form Cumbria to Yeovil and counties in between.
Each organisation receiving a vehicle was presented with the keys of their machines and a signed Certificate from The Most Worshipful the Grand Master His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent. All the vehicles had the MBF emblem on them.
Inside the National Motorcycle Museum. The author's second motorbike is third from the left.
The presentation was followed by some closing remarks by RWBro Ryan Williams and another view of the video, we all came away with the message “What have you done today to make you feel proud” I think that accompanying photographs will show.
Following an excellent buffet lunch Barry and I went to the National Motorcycle Museum and spent a couple of hours looking at all the bikes there, seeing the machines we had in various stages in our motorcycling days. We would recommend the Museum to anyone interested in bikes, just about every make and model is represented and if you read all the information on all the exhibits you would need a lot longer than the time we had, there being halls filled with bikes of all descriptions.
In no time at all it was time to return to the railway station and let the train take the strain.

Words and pictures by Colin Mills