Roads firm BEAR Scotland drives life-saving Highland and Islands Blood Bikes charity onwards with cash donation
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A lifesaving charity that transports vital medical supplies and samples across the Highlands and Islands free of charge for the NHS has received a funding boost.
Highland and Islands Blood Bikes (HAIBB) took the £750 donation Transport Scotland’s trunk road operating company BEAR Scotland.
The firm manages and maintains trunk roads throughout the Highlands and Argyll & Bute, the very areas where the lifesaving charity operates.
HAIBB acts as an extension of the NHS’s Highland transportation services, covering an area of Scotland equivalent to Belgium’s land mass,
It relies solely on donations and grants to transport medications, blood samples and other vital materials across the vast area.
Operating a fleet of six motorbikes, one van and one car, HAIBB has bases in Inverness, Fort William, Oban and Wick which enable it to cover the entire area quickly and efficiently.
Gordon Scott, HAIBB’s secretary, said: “Donations are our life blood. We travel 120,000 miles annually.
“Donations help us buy and maintain our bikes as well as pay for our petrol. No donation is too small. We are grateful to BEAR for supporting us.”
Stephen Urquhart, BEAR Scotland’s north west strategic road safety engineer, nominated the charity to benefit from the road company’s Regional Charity Initiative.
Stephen said: “Living and working in Inverness and travelling around the Highlands, I see Highland and Islands Blood Bikes almost every day.
“I know some people who volunteer with them and I hope this money helps them continue their good work.”
The BEAR Regional Charity Initiative encourages employees to nominate a charity or cause for funding that operates in the communities in which BEAR works.
Given that BEAR manages and maintains trunk routes from the A83 at Campbeltown to the A9 north of Perth to Scrabster and the A87 on Skye, the footprint of this charity correlates to the communities that BEAR serves in the North West of Scotland.
