I’ve been seven years with this charity covering thousands of miles and hundreds of hours on a bike and on the phone but today was my first milk run. It wasn’t planned that way but that’s how it turned out.
Milk runs tend to happen during the week when I’m working but I have an understanding boss and managed to get this unexpected trip into a reasonably extended lunch hour.
As my fellow volunteer from Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikes and I were transferring the load a gentleman walked past and spoke to us ‘Thank you for all that you do guys’.
‘Thank you too’ I responded ‘do you know what’s in here?’
‘Blood, I hope’ he replied.
‘Actually, it’s 8 litres of frozen human milk for a special care baby unit in Cwmbran.’
Now that started a conversation. Yes, we’re all volunteers. There’s a network of us all over the UK. No, we don’t get any funding from the NHS or the government. But we don’t charge our NHS either.
Everything we do, we do it for free. Everything we do is financed by our supporters.
So now I’ve done a milk job I can thank with authority all our volunteers who provide this service to our NHS each week and our supporters who make it possible. I might not get another chance for a while but I have it on good authority that more milk will be needed tomorrow.
That’s the thing about babies, they’re always hungry and Blood Bikers don’t mind helping them and their Mums one little bit. #ItsWhatWeDo
