Bikers revved up to give key workers vital PPE supplies
VOLUNTEERS from a biking community group in Rochdale have been delivering essential medical wear and PPE accessories to key workers across the North West.
Rochdale’s Brass Knuckle Riders is delivering goods produced by Scrubs Hub in Rochdale and Bury, and Wiganbased project Headbands for Heroes, as well as transferring supplies to volunteers.
Paul Whitaker, who started up the initiative among 25-30 riders from the group of 300 biking enthusiasts, says around 500 deliveries have been made over the four weeks the volunteers have been active. He said: “The Brass Knuckles try and nominate a charity every year which over the summer we’ll hold a number of rides to raise money for.
“Obviously this year, because of the restrictions we couldn’t get out and about on the bikes so the best thing that we thought we could do - which was a bonus for our riders and for the community at large - was to offer our services to local charities.”
The collaboration came about when the bikers offered their services on their Facebook page, which led to them being paired with the two charities.
Scrubs Hub’s network of 200 volunteers are sewing essential medical workwear, while Headbands for Heroes are making buttoned accessories that can be attached to face masks to reduce the discomfort caused to the ears by wearing for extended periods.
The volunteer bikers, who are normally based at the Empire on Packer Street, are picking up fabric supplies donated within the community and purchased through donations, before picking up completed items and helping distribute them to hospitals including Rochdale Infirmary - although Paul says the products are available to any healthcare worker who wants them.
Paul, who is currently on furlough from his job as a construction worker, said the initiative was a way for him and others in his position to “bring a sense of community back to Rochdale”.
He added: “It’s heartbreaking to go to the hospitals. I dropped some headbands to the infirmary the other day, handed them over to a nurse there and she literally cried, so it gives you an incentive.
“Every one of our volunteers is putting in their own fuel at their own cost, their own time.
“When you see how appreciated the NHS is, and not just the NHS staff, but the care workers and the caregivers as well, you can’t sit at home and not do anything.”
Not content with the hundreds of trips its volunteers have already made, Paul says the group is inviting other charities and local groups who could benefit from its delivery service, with a
●●Volunteer bikers Paul Whitaker and Paul Cockroft have been making deliveries of PPE supplies and accessories to key workers, alongside others from the Brass Knuckle Riders group potential collaboration with Heywood Soup Kitchen on the cards.
The group is also making preparations for after lockdown conditions have eased, with plans underway for awards to recognise the efforts of those who worked hard to support their community during the coronavirus pandemic.
More information about the riders’ activities, or for local charities and volunteers interested in a collaboration, can be found on the Brass Knuckle Riders Facebook page.