Armada rides to rescue
AGROUP of local motorcycle enthusiasts have raised thousands of pounds to benefit some of the most seriously ill patients in Cheshire and Merseyside.
The Scarisbrick and District Armada Motorcycle Club raised £15,000 from fundraising events last year, including their two Honda C90 “Plop” Enduro races, and have donated the money to the trauma unit at Aintree University Hospital.
Graeme Young, from the S&D Armada Club, said: “Anyone involved in motorcycling will know someone who has needed hospital treatment following biking accidents, and we know what an incredible job trauma centres like the one at Aintree do.
“We’re delighted to have been able to make this donation.”
The money will be used to buy items including specialist kit which will allow the hospital to be involved in a national research study evaluating a revolutionary and potentially lifesaving treatment.
The procedure, called resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion (Reboa), is used to control severe bleeding and to temporarily stabilise the patient while they are resuscitated by the trauma team and prepared for rapid transfer to the operating theatre.
Julie Peacock, major trauma operational manager at Aintree, said: “We are so grateful to the S&D Armada Club for their generosity.
“We wanted to use this money to buy kit which we wouldn’t otherwise have the luxury of having and we decided on these pieces of equipment after lengthy discussions with our clinical teams.
“They will make a huge difference to so many of our patients while they are in our care.”