A VOLUNTEER has dedicated a £5,000 charity win to the memory of his dad who died in a motorbike accident while delivering blood.

Martin Dixon, 56, was a volunteer with Bloodrun EVS (Emergency Voluntary Service), a charity which sees bikers transport crucial blood supplies between hospitals in November 2016.

Now his son, also called Martin, says he is proud to be carrying on his father’s legacy after receiving £5,000 for Bloodrun EVS from charitable movement Teesside Philanthropic Foundation.

Although not a biker himself, 28-year-old Martin, a software developer for Bet 365, is the charity’s webmaster.

Martin Dixon Snr

He said: “Dad always liked helping people and trying to do good, and he always liked motorbikes, so Bloodrun EVS was a perfect fit for him.

“That he was killed while delivering blood on a bike has spurred me on to get involved more and more.

“Until something like that happens, you don’t realise the massive community you’re part of, but blood bikers from all over the country – London, Cornwall, Bristol, Ireland - took part in his final ride that formed his funeral procession from his house in Billingham to Teesside crematorium.”

Bloodrun EVS provides a free out-of-hours transportation service to move blood, medicines and other vital products between hospitals across the Tees region.

After receiving a cheque with fellow volunteers from Foundation patrons Hunters estate agents in a presentation event at Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium, he said: “I’m lost for words really. Dad would be really proud.

“£5,000 might not seem like a lot to some organisations but to us it’s massive.

“We’re all volunteers in our own time – no-one gets paid – but £5,000 will cover a lot of our costs for a year.

“The bikes go through quite a lot of tyres - so far this year we’ve done about 78,000 miles and a set of tyres lasts about 2,500 miles. Naturally, if we don’t have tyres we’re not on the road, so this donation will help us to buy tyres at a discounted rate and keep our bikes on the road for many years.

“The publicity from Dad’s accident turned a negative into a positive because he has left a fantastic legacy,” he said. “Things have changed so much.

“The support from the local community and the school where Dad worked has been amazing and we’ve gone from about 20 volunteers to approaching 60 now – but we always need more because the demand is there.”

Bloodrun volunteers

And following a £16,000 fundraising push, a bike was bought that now carries Martin Snr’s name in the form of MD1, “So he’s still out there every night delivering blood, doing what he used to do.”

For more details about the charity visit bloodrun.co.uk