Two South Yorkshire charities have been recognised by King Charles III for their commitment to their local community.
Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes and Rotherham Families First both received the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award given to UK volunteer groups and is equivalent to the MBE.
Motorcyclists at Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes volunteer their time to provide an out of hours urgent transportation service of blood samples, controlled medicines, donated breast milk and other vital supplies to hospitals and hospices across Yorkshire.
The charity has been delivering this free, life-saving service since 2008, with the Sheffield branch operating since 2014. Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes has a team of 60 volunteers and there will always be three volunteers on duty each day.
Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bike South Yorks Manager, Roy Clark said: “We now respond to over 3,000 call-outs every year and also participate in national relays with other neighbouring Blood Bike Groups. We believe our urgent delivery service saves the NHS £100,000 each year in transport costs.
“We are delighted to receive this prestigious award – all our Whiteknights’ volunteer riders, past and present, should be extremely proud of what our small charity has achieved to benefit the care of Yorkshire patients.”
Rotherham Families First provides second-hand clothes, toys and basic household items to some of the most vulnerable people across Rotherham. Inside a unit at Parkgate, founder Ann Levick and her small team of volunteers meticulously sort through donated items. These are distributed anonymously to families via partner charities and social workers to respect their privacy and dignity.
They also organise the annual Rotherham Toy Appeal which has provided new toys to thousands of disadvantaged children across the borough each year since 1991.
The King’s Award comes just six months after they became a registered charity, although they have been operating since 2019.
Representatives from both charities will be invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace this summer.
