Yorkshire’s only female ‘blood biker’ volunteer from Sheffield doing vital work on the frontline

As Yorkshire’s only female ‘blood biker’, Annette Parker is helping to save lives in the city by transporting urgent medical suppli es and test samples by motorbike.

Annette volunteers out of hours with Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes. The charity provides a free out of hours transportation service to the NHS and hospices across Yorkshire, and is part of a network that helps to save lives and money for the NHS.

During the lockdown, the Whiteknights have been supporting the new open air Phlebotomy (blood) Unit based at the Fly DSA Arena, which means that vulnerable patients do not have to go into hospital sites.

Annette said: “We are a small cog in a very large machine and I volunteer with Whiteknights because it’s one way I can contribute to the city and the NHS using a skill that I have.

“It is physical work requiring concentration and resilience. Having been called out nine times during one night shift, and knowing that each call meant there was an ill person or a child needing a fast test result, I am proud to be a link in the chain that can ultimately help to save a life.”

By day, Annette’s usual job is team leader for the Prince’s Trust Team Programme at the college’s Peaks Campus on Waterthorpe Greenway.

The 12-week personal development programme gives 16 to 25-year-olds, who may have previously experienced difficulty, the chance to gain new skills, take a qualification and meet new people.

Annette added: “It aligns with my day job because both are about altruism; young people need to learn how many people care and volunteer for others in Sheffield and that they too have a significant contribution to make.”

Annette’s tasks include transporting blood and Covid-19 samples, urgent medical records, personal protective equipment and delivering test results to healthcare professionals to treat emergency patients.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.Our journalism costs m oney and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.