Blood Bikes Handover Day

Details

Category: Mark Masons’ Hall's Charities

Who They Are

With its roots going back over half a century, the concept of a rapid response motorcycle based charity, run by unpaid volunteers has an impressive track record. More than one of the current NABB member groups can proudly demonstrate in excess of three decades of continual service to the NHS and the wider community.

Since its inception as an umbrella organisation in 2008, NABB has successfully promoted and been actively involved in the start up of numerous independent Blood Bike groups across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. With only a handful of areas not yet covered by a Blood Bike group, our vision of providing a ‘coast to coast’ service is rapidly becoming a reality. Although we are all volunteers, we operate to professional standards and comply with current legislation relating to our activities, which includes MHRA / NICE guidelines, UN3373 compliance and GMP training.

During 2013, the 25 NABB member group’s 1,400 advanced qualified volunteer riders responded to around 35,000 requests for rapid transport from 262 hospitals in the UK. These requests were to transport anything from whole blood (red cells), platelets, plasma, serum, surgical instruments to patient’s notes, X-rays, Human donor milk and MRI scans. These requests ranged from urgent (Priority 2), through to emergency (Priority 1) life threatening scenarios.

Although these groups have saved a significant amount of money for the hospitals, they are primarily acknowledged by their client hospitals as providing a professional and high quality service. The fact that they do this free of charge is just the icing on the cake.

St John Ambulance Treatment Centre - Wiltshire

Details

Category: Mark Masons’ Hall's Charities

Charities Manager of the Mark Benevolent Fund, W.Bro. Darren Coleman-Heald, joined R.W.Bro. Andrew Beaumont, Provincial Grand Master for Wiltshire and his team in Salisbury this evening (15th Aug.) for the dedication of a new St John Ambulance Treatment Centre.

W.Bro. George Henry Reynolds 100th birthday

Details

Category: Mark Master Mason

Congratulations to W.Bro. George Henry Reynolds who recently celebrated his 100th birthday. George received his special 100-year Certificate from the new Provincial Grand Master for Monmouthshire, R.W.Bro. David Powell.

W.Bro. Reynolds joined the Keystone Lodge No.109 in 1979 and looks forward to celebrating his 40th year as a Mark Master Mason in 2019.

Sending you our best wishes from all at Mark Grand Lodge.

Presentation of Mobile Treatment Centre to St John Ambulance, Cambridgeshire

Details

Category: Mark Masons’ Hall's Charities

Volunteers from St Ambulance, Cambridgeshire look forward to using the new Treatment Centre

The sun shone down with meridian splendour as we arrived at Huntingdon’s St John Ambulance headquarters for Cambridgeshire.

There, representatives and volunteers from St John Ambulance were joined by the Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral to be formally presented with the keys to the new Mobile Treatment Centre by Right Worshipful Brother Paul Anthony Norman, Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of East Anglia.

The Treatment Centre had been delivered 6 weeks previously and in that short period had already been in service at 25 events within Cambridgeshire.
This is the second of three vehicles being presented in the Masonic Province of East Anglia, which comprises the geographical counties of Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Norfolk received theirs in May and the Provincial Grand Master and his team of Provincial Officers will head to Suffolk later this year to present the remaining vehicle.

The volunteers at St John Ambulance were delighted to be in receipt of the vehicle and can’t wait to get their turn at taking it out to one of the many events that they attend across the County.

After the presentation we were treated to early afternoon tea and sandwiches and it was a pleasure to meet and talk to the volunteers and hear what a difference a vehicle like this will make. Their enthusiasm for their duties as first aiders is quite enlivening.