Northumbria Blood Bikes are thrilled to reveal the new motorbike purchased from the Tesco Bags of Help funding scheme. Colleagues at the store were given the opportunity to name the bike but as a mark of respect they gave this honour to the family of Chris Webster. Chris had been a keen fundraising volunteer for NBB, up until his health declined, and he sadly passed away earlier this year. Chris’ family chose to name the bike ‘Rush’ which had been his nickname.

Joanne Reay, Community Champion for Tesco Durham Extra, said: "At Tesco in Durham we have been working with and supporting Northumbria Blood Bikes for a considerable period of time. We have built up a great relationship with them supporting their great cause for the community. We pride ourselves with the work and help we do so that we can really be at the heart of the community we serve. That is why we are so pleased we are able to support the Blood Bikes with a number of fundraising opportunities and more recently were able to provide them with £4000. As part of our Bags of Help scheme whereby any money raised through the sale of carrier bags, we give back to the community to help good causes such as this. We are absolutely delighted that this money has been used to purchase a further bike, to support the blood bikes going forward."

Kirsty Lawrence, Publicity Officer for Northumbria Blood Bikes, said: "Over the past few months we have had to retire a few of our beloved bikes so to have this new vehicle join our operational fleet is perfect timing. We really appreciate the funding provided by Tesco and customers who voted for us. It is lovely that the staff allowed the bike to be dedicated to Chris Webster and it is a fitting tribute to his commitment to our charity."