STOKE FERRY & DISTRICT LADIES GROUP

Minutes of the meeting held on April 3rd Mrs Armsby welcomed 16 members. There were no apologies. The minutes of the last meeting were read & signed. CORRESPONDENCE A letter was received from Peter Thorpe, thanking us for our donation to his annual charity, which this year is the Tapping House Hospice. Mrs Armsby asked members for their ideas for the June & August meetings, which are still to be arranged. Gillian Smith said that she would be willing to arrange another mystery tour in August, & everyone was in favour of that. Members also decided to have another fish & chip supper in June. The May meeting will be a floral demonstration by Yvonne Self. She suggested that raffle tickets should be £1 in May, to help towards the cost of the flowers. Members agreed. ROTAS TEAS Valerie Kirchen & Heather Durrance DOOR/raffle Jenny Elsey & Anita Horgen VOT Doris Armsby Mrs Armsby then introduced Ian Grimes to tell us about his work as a volunteer for the Emergency Blood Bikes. A basic form of the service began in the 1960’s in one area, but now all counties are covered. The Norfolk service was set up in Oct 2011 with two second hand motorbikes that cost £8000 each. This was funded by a sponsored ride from Lowestoft to Lands End. Norfolk now has 9 liveried bikes & 4 cars. From 7pm to 7am, while we are tucked up in bed, volunteers deliver urgent blood, plasma, platelets, samples & vaccines between the Queen Elizabeth, the Norfolk & Norwich, the James Paget & Addenbrookes hospitals. Donated breast milk is also taken to the neonatal units. Everyone works from home to avoid extra costs. All journeys are organised by a controller, who monitors each stage, until the delivery is made, & the rider safely home. All volunteers commit to 2 shifts every month, & the riders must be over 25 years old, & take an advanced riding test. Ian was in at the beginning, & from 82 tasks a year, it has risen to 1452. They receive no Government grants, so the service relies on fundraising. Ian was thanked by Janet Cooper, & given a donation to support the vital work. The raffle was won by Gillian Smith & Doris Armsby. The meeting ended at 9.15pm. Claire lankfer (secretary)