Fundraisers

Precious Cargo Project gathers momentum

Did you know......there are approximately 100 volunteers involved in the Precious Cargo project split roughly 2/3rds student midwives, 1/3 Blood Bikers spread around the UK.

We have a team of 6 Regional Coordinators (RCs) supporting our local volunteers and they hold regular video conferences to monitor progress and resolve issues . The scroll's tour of the UK will last for 2 months (October and November ) and will visit 32 hospitals /maternity units in England, Scotland and Wales, fly to the Isle of Lewis and back, attend 2 conferences (including the RCM annual conference in Telford) and grace one Palace during that time. The tour will conclude at the RCM HQ in London at the end of November 2013.

During its first 2 weeks, approximately £2000 has been raised or pledged and over 1700 signatures have been added to the 20 meter long scroll. (its predecessor collected 900 signatures over 5 years so we are doing well!).

Guinness World Records has created a new category for "most signatures on a scroll" based on the Precious Cargo intiative! To add to the fun, there is even a song being recorded about the project - its due for release during Halloween.

The UK tour is a pilot for a more ambitious plan. If the initial campaign is successful, the scroll will embark upon a global journey, starting in Europe in 2014. One target venue is the triennial conference of the International Confederation of Midwives in Prague. With 108 member countries attending the conference, there will be no better stage for the project to promote its global campaign.

In the meantime, there is plenty to do here and we need your help. Whilst the project is certainly lots of fun , its main purpose is to raise money . We are assured of a setting a new world record , but our main objective is to raise funds to help Motorcycle Outreach save lives. Hence, why we need as many donations as possible. Please help us if you can. Visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PreciousCargo and make a donation today.

Thank you.

Ron Common , Project Coordinator

Launch of Precious Cargo Scroll

After 6 months of planning, the Precious Cargo project was officially launched on Saturday 28th September 2013 from Hampton Court Palace, and what a fantastic day it was. A group of supporters and volunteers, including our celebrity guest, and long term supporter, Eric Richard (Sgt Cryer from the Bill) gathered to give the scroll a great send off for its tour of the UK.

Journalist and photographer, Paul Blezard kindly led the photo shoot to capture the moment in the amazing setting of the Palace courtyard. John Stepney, Chair of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes, was our rider for the first leg from Hampton Court Palace to Darent Hospital, Dartford.

During the next 2 months, the scroll will travel the length of the UK calling in at 30 hospitals, from Brighton to Stornoway, collecting signatures and donations as it travels. A schedule of visits is listed on the project website www.precious-cargo.org

The final stop will be at the Royal College of Midwives, London, close to where the journey started. Depending on the outcome of the UK tour, the scroll will then embark upon a global journey to continue to raise awareness and funds in support of the Motorcycle Outreach mission.

We would like thank Kate Minchin, Events Organiser at Hampton Court Palace for making it possible for us the use the Palace grounds for the launch , and to Eric , Paul and John for giving their time freely to support the launch event. We would also like to thank all the student midwife volunteers who have worked so hard over the last few months to make Precious Cargo become a reality.

If you would like to support the project, please visit the Home page of www.precious-cargo.org where you can make an on line donation. Thank you.

Setting a new Guinness Record : Launch of ‘Precious Cargo’ project with UK student midwives

As part of a joint effort to participate in the UN’s Millennium Development Goal for a reduction in overall worldwide maternal death rates, the healthcare logistics charity Motorcycle Outreach has created a ground-breaking project called

‘Precious Cargo’. The project will be launched at Hampton Court Palace, London, on Saturday 28th September 2013. The project has been developed in partnership with StudentMidwives.Net, the Nationwide Association of Bloodbikes, together with RCM student and practicing midwives and other healthcare workers around the country.

The objective of ‘Precious Cargo’ is to send a scroll on a global journey visiting those involved with midwifery starting with a tour of UK hospitals and maternity units collecting signatures (and donations) as it travels. As a boost to the project, Guinness World Records has created a new category for “Most Signatures on a Scroll” based on the Precious Cargo initiative and the project will be the first to set the world record.

Around the world, 800 women die every day from childbirth-related complications - many of which are avoidable - andthose in rural areas are most at risk (WHO 2013). During childbirth, timing can be critical and for rural areas thegeography of the landscape can mean that there are significant challenges for professionals to get to those in need.

Motorcycle Outreach works with Health Ministries and local projects in developing countries to provide properly managed and maintained motorcycles for use by healthcare workers. This enables mobile teams to provide health care to people living in remote villages where road access is poor. The purpose of the Precious Cargo project is to raise funds to enable Motorcycle Outreach to be able to continue to support its existing project and expand its operations to other parts of the world.

The idea is based on a previous fund-raising project run by the Women’s International Motorcycling Association that raised £35,000 for the street kids of India.

Regional members of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes in England and Scotland will be supporting the project by providing a “courier service” for the scroll (the precious cargo) between hospitals. The student midwives/midwives will facilitate the signing of the scroll during its 48 hour visit at each location.

The scroll’s journey starts from Hampton Court Palace, London, on Saturday 28th September 2013. From there, it will do a tour of approximately 40 hospitals across the country until the end of November. The UK tour will be a “pilot”Motorcycle Outreach: C/O Po Box 97, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 4BP. www.motorcycleoutreach.org

info@motorcycleoutreach.org 07785 543924 / 07979 757484

project and if successful, the scroll will embark on an international tour that is expected to begin in the New Year. This will include a visit to the International Confederation of Midwives triennial conference in Prague in 2014 to promote the project to the ICM’s 108 member countries.

The project is supported by the RCM, the UK Association of Milk Banks (UKAMB), Association of Radical Midwives (ARM), White Ribbon Alliance and by prominent figures in the midwifery profession including Sheena Byrom OBE, a leading independent midwife, and Frances Day Stirk, President of the ICM.

The website for the project can be found at www.precious-cargo.org . People who sign the scroll will be invited to make a donation either locally during the visit or online to Virgin Money Giving, reached via the Precious Cargo website. For more information, contact the project coordinator, Ron Common at ron@motorcycleoutreach.org

Launch of "Precious Cargo" project with student midwives

As part of a joint effort to participate in the UN’s Millennium Development Goal of a reduction in overall worldwide maternal death rates, Motorcycle Outreach is partnering with StudentMidwives.Net together with midwives and other healthcare workers around the country to create a ground-breaking project called "Precious Cargo".

Precious Cargo project

The plan is to send a scroll (one of the oldest forms of communication) on a global journey, visiting those involved with midwifery (one of the oldest professions) starting with a tour of UK hospitals and maternity units collecting signatures (and donations) as it travels.

Sheena Byrom OBE, one of UK's leading midwives, is supporting the campaign.

Example of a signed scroll (courtesy of S Ravensdale, Street Kids of India campaign)

Regional members of the National Association of Blood Bikes will be supporting the campaign by providing their trusted courier service for the scroll (the precious cargo) between the hospitals. The student midwives/midwives will facilitate the signing of the scroll during it's 24 hour visit at each location.

The scroll’s journey will start from Hampton Court Palace, London, on Saturday 28th September 2013. From there, it will do a tour of up to 50 hospitals until the end of November. A provisonal route will be published towards the end of August. The UK tour will be a "pilot" for the worldwide journey, that will begin after the UK leg has been completed, and will continue throughout 2014.

The website for the project can be found at www.precious-cargo.org . People who sign the scroll will be invited to make a donation via Virgin Money Giving or the Precious Cargo website. For more information, contact Ron Common at ron@motorcycleoutreach.org