ORGANISERS of the ‘Yer Tiz’ motorcycle rally helped to make it a happy New Year for two charities and were extremely pleased to be able to donate funds totalling £3,000.

Motorcycle Outreach and Devon Freewheelers are both bike-related charities that provide life-saving services to others and whose volunteer members are often unsung heroes. They were the beneficiaries of the sixth ‘Yer Tiz’ motorcycle rally which took place at the North Tawton Rugby Club in September last year and was very well attended by riders from across the country.

Rally founder Richard Long said: ‘Our team’s hard work has really paid off and we’re seeing the rally’s popularity grow to the point of reaching full capacity. It’s a fun weekend with bands, camping, a ride-out and a bike show and it’s fantastic to be able to give the profits to such worthy causes. We are also pleased to see that these charities are receiving greater recognition over time as the general public become aware of their valuable service.’

Motorcycle Outreach was started by the late Simon Milward of Exeter to provide essential medical transport for hard to reach areas of the world. Simon had organised a world trip in support of the charities, Medecins sans Frontieres and Riders for Health.

On seeing a direct and unmet local need during the trip, Simon helped to establish a pilot project based on the Riders for Health zero breakdown principles on the remote Indonesian island of Flores. This was called Health for All (HfA). Sadly, during his journey to the Riders for Health centre in The Gambia, Simon lost his life in a road accident in Mali.

His mother, Jane Milward, continues his work by visiting bike rallies and events with Simon’s specially adapted bike ‘The Overlander’, which was custom built by John T Motorcycles of Newton Abbot, to raise awareness of the charity and raise some much needed funds. 

Devon Freewheelers is a team of Emergency Vehicle volunteers who are dedicated to supporting the NHS by delivering much needed blood, samples, medication, donor breast milk and more to hospitals throughout Devon. The service runs weekdays out of hours and 24/7 at weekends.

The riders are supported by 30 volunteers who provide call centre services and essential fundraising support.

The service requires £150,000 per year just to keep running. The funds are essential in keeping the fleet of bikes and all terrain vehicles maintained to the emergency vehicle standards set by the police — added to this is the HQ’s modest running costs and approximately £400 per week in fuel.

Some of the riders are in the process of becoming first responders who can assist at the point of emergency.

The rally is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers, independent of any other group or organisation, with the aim of raising funds for motorcycle-based charities whose work benefits the wider communities they represent.

For more information visit the website www.yertizbikerally.co.uk or the Facebook page to receive updates.

Visit the charities’ websites at www.bloodbikes.org and www.motorcycleout reach.org to see how the donations will benefit people in Devon and beyond.