Spring is taking its time this year. Last weekend, 24 hours before I was due to meet the Chairman of this year’s
National Feast of Lanterns (NFOL) at the
Prescott Bike Festival, I opened the curtains to find it was snowing. Not ideal.
What’s the connection between a festival for UK bikers and the Club’s festival of camping? Every year the NFOL Chairman nominates a charity to benefit from funds raised at the event. Last year’s NFOL raised £1,500 for the National Autistic Society West Norfolk Branch. This year’s charity is the Severn Freewheelers, one of a national network of Blood Bike groups.
The Severn Freewheelers organise the Prescott event, and it seemed the perfect place to find out what being nominated as the Chairman’s Charity meant to them, and to ask Russell Hurlston, the NFOL Chairman, why he picked the group.
Fortunately spring had got its act in gear by Sunday and Adventure Dog and I were able to travel to our meeting under blue, if chilly, skies.
We met up with Russ and Pam, his wife, queued patiently while hundreds of bikers tried to get parked in a muddy field, and arrived at the Blood Bike village for our photo at exactly the same time as three local mayors!
A bit of patience got our photo taken and members of the Severn Freewheelers team were happy to explain why being nominated as the 2016 Chairman’s Charity was so important.
Severn Freewheelers volunteer Nigel Warwick said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen as the Chairman’s Charity.
"Blood Bikes provide an out-of-hours courier service for the National Health Service. We work at weekends and at night.
“It costs us over a thousand pounds a week to run the service, though we save the NHS a lot more than that.”
The volunteer bikers deliver blood, X-rays, patient notes and other vital medical items between locations in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, north Wiltshire and Herefordshire.
Russell said: “I looked for a charity where the money would go to the people concerned and for their cause. Here the money raised will pay for the fuel, the bikes, and their maintenance.”
Diana Ridout, Fundraising Manager for the Freewheelers, added: “We rely on donations from the public to keep us on the road.”
Bikers, cyclists and other lightweight campers who are members are welcome at the 2016 NFOL. Although members are asked to bring their ‘own san’ if possible, a special area with toilets and showers has been designated on the Three Counties Showground, in Malvern, Worcestershire, for campers in small tents.
This year’s NFOL theme is ‘World of Movies’ so we couldn’t let this posse of stormtroopers from the UK Garrison get past without posing for a photo with Russ.
The NFOL takes place from 25 to 29 August. The fun starts at just £72 for two adults for all four nights – kids go free.
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Find out what’s in store this year on the NFOL website, or head to our YouTube channel to see why you should book your pitch.