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The Blood Bikes Manchester service has received vital equipment thanks to a donation from the Kingsmill Kindness Fund launched last year by the Stockport-manufactured bread brand.
£600 from the fund has allowed the charity to buy essential satnav devices that will help Blood Bikes continue its work, delivering vital medical equipment across Manchester and beyond, including at Stepping Hill Hospital.
Blood Bikes Manchester is a charity setup in Greater Manchester that transports Blood, Plasma, Platelets, Samples, Vaccines, Donor Breast Milk (DBM) and any other urgently required medical items to hospitals and healthcare sites, at night, daytime weekends and Bank Holidays. The service is provided completely free of charge by volunteers who all offer their time for no pay or reward, allowing the NHS to divert funds where they are needed most.
The Kingsmill Slice of Kindness campaign was launched in July 2021 to bring together all the work the brand does to make a positive difference to its communities, to health and to the planet. As part of the community pledge, Kingsmill has given colleagues access to the Kingsmill Kindness Fund so that they can apply for money to support the projects and causes in their local communities that most matter to them. The money given to Blood Bikes Manchester follows on from the purchase of a life saving defibrillator for a local football club as well as sports equipment for a grass roots team.
About the donation, Matthew Berry, Blood Bikes Manchester volunteer and Kingsmill employee said:
“I feel so lucky to be able to work at Kingmsill and have access to apply for money from the Kindness Fund. We were in dire need of these two new sat nav devices to keep our service quite literally on the road. We aim to give our volunteers the best experience possible during their deliveries and help navigating the streets of the city plays a huge part in that – likewise in making much needed deliveries as efficient as possible! Our fleet is now fully up and running thanks to this Kingsmill donation and we’re extremely grateful for that.”
Alongside providing colleagues at the bread brand, including at Allied Bakeries in Stockport, access to its Kindness Fund, Kingsmill’s Slice of Kindness Pledge also includes a commitment to make its packaging more sustainable, a leading role in campaigning for kerbside recycling for soft plastics such as bread bags, and a partnership with Save the Children.
The brand’s 2021 pledge follows a wider programme of charitable action during the coronavirus pandemic from the wider Associated British Foods group, including donations by Kingsmill manufacturers, Allied Bakeries, of bread to residents in need in Stockport and the surrounding area.