Stephen Franklyn is well known for being the go-to IT guy in Clacks (Lithium Systems) but maybe those who don’t know him that well won’t know his passion for motorbikes.
Passion for 2 wheels
Always having a passion for motorbikes, Stephen got his first bike back in 1980 just after leaving school. Since then, he has owned various bikes such as a Suzuki Hayabusa, one of the fastest road bikes of all time and latterly a more relaxed BMW GS1250 designed for touring. Last year he travelled by train to Newcastle to pick up a BMW GS1200 that he never saw but bought on impulse from eBay!
Bikes with Purpose
Earlier this year, on the advice from his family/friends and staff, Stephen has been able to take a little step back from the business and devote time to do some charity work. After talking to a friend one day, who also has a love for bikes, he said that he volunteers for the Blood Bikes service for the NHS. Stephen, feeling that he wanted to give back to the local community, decided to investigate the possibility of becoming a Blood Bike driver.
Blood Bike Driver
After a few months of training from the institute of advance driving followed by a test from a police instructor, Stephen finally got the call. He was officially a Blood Biker Driver and his first job on the bike was 25thJuly this year (2022) where he delivered urgent blood to the Blood transfusion centre at Gartnavel hospital in Glasgow. He was extremely proud to be part of the valuable service to the community and so he should be!
Dedication
Stephen now dedicates a minimum of 3 days a month to being a Blood Bike Driver and can be taking anything from blood and medication to baby milk, wherever it is required in the community and is saving lives in the process. Without the dedication and commitment from volunteers like Stephen this service wouldn’t be able to be well utilised by NHS staff in both primary and secondary care and ultimately by patients and carers. It is proving to be an invaluable service.
Well done Stephen and all the other Blood Bikers out there.
About Blood Bikes Scotland
Blood Bikes Scotland provide a free of charge transport service to the Scottish NHS run by volunteers in their own time #itswhatwedo.
They deliver small urgent items that are required to be moved from one site to another or to a patient’s home in the community. Supporting teams in both primary and secondary care including GPs, District Nurses, Care Homes, and Community Hospitals.
About Lithium Systems
Lithium Systems are a tenant of Ceteris and a technology services provider offering IT, Cyber Security & telecoms solutions to many types of organisations and businesses throughout the UK. They are also one of the few Scottish companies accredited as Cyber Solutions Practitioners. Which means they can help your business through the process of achieving Cyber Essentials certification as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.