Calling All Bikers! We need your help now!

[Born2bVile]

The National Association For Bikers with a Disability (NABD) is in its twentieth year with a very proud record of helping around 10,000 disabled people to enjoy the freedom and independence of motorcycling. Throughout this time we have remained dedicated to our belief that registered charities such as ours should not spend vast amounts of money on wages, expenses and fancy offices. To this end we have remained a voluntary organisation with only two employees (two lovely ladies who take care of the office and daily administration) and we have one of the least generous and most restrictive system of expense claims in the charity world. Our office and storage facility is small industrial unit on an industrial estate. The NABD is also one of those extremely rare charities that have guaranteed for twenty years that 100% of every donation has been used specifically for the purpose it was donated.

Unfortunately, like everybody else, the NABD has been hit hard by this current recession and now we need your support more than ever before.

Many bikers all over Britain get involved in raising money for a wide range of charities but most seem to support massively oversubscribed charities that already have millions of pounds in the bank like Children In Need, Comic Relief, Help For Heroes or Cancer Research. We all know that these charities provide much needed services and support for deserving people but the fact remains that they have vast resources and they enjoy huge support from all parts of society.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about; on just one day in 2011, Children in Need raised more than £26 million in the UK. Comic Relief raised £74 million in 2011. Cancer Research raised an almost unbelievable £433 million in 2010 and each of these charities gets huge support from within the motorcycle scene.
The NABD has to rely purely on support from within the motorcycle scene and although this support has previously enabled us to become the world leaders in the field of motorcycling for disabled people and this in turn has given us the ability to develop new and better solutions to the problems faced by disabled motorcyclists, we have recently seen a marked fall-off in support from motorcyclists and motorcycle groups. And we do not need millions; in fact the best financial year in our history featured total donations of little over £68,000.00

One of the most important aspects of the services offered by the NABD is our system for making financial grants to help disabled riders to pay for the necessary adaptations to bikes, trikes and sidecar outfits. Now for the first time since 1999 we have been forced by the current financial situation to suspend this grants system due to lack of funds.

It is our fervent hope that this awful situation is a temporary one, but without a marked resurgence in support from within the motorcycle scene this much needed service, and others, will not be available to those fellow bikers who need it so much if they are to regain their freedom and independence through motorcycling.

Please don't leap to the incorrect conclusion that the NABD is in danger of disappearing, this is not the case and nor will it be the case in the foreseeable future. However, in the current economic climate, more people than ever are requesting our help and we have already paid or agreed to over £74,000.00 worth of grants in the 8 months of this financial year. To put that into perspective, our previous record in one entire year was just over £70,000.00. Whilst we can afford to pay for these, we cannot, at the present time, agree to any more. We simply don’t have the money.

The NABD needs your support now. If your club is having a party, why not make it a fund-raiser for the NABD? Why not ask your local bikers pub to run a raffle or a party to raise funds for the NABD? Or you could simply become a member of the NABD for £20.00 (you don't have to be disabled to join and support our aims). You can buy NABD supporters patches and other NABD merchandise via the shop on www.nabd.org.uk we also have You've Been Nabbed 21 rally tickets for sale via the web site or by calling 0844 415 4849

Please help the NABD in its hour of need, it's the biker’s charity and bikers are the only people who make it all work.

Donations can be sent to: NABD, Unit 20, The Bridgewater Centre, Robson Avenue, Urmston, Manchester, M40 7TE or you can donate on line www.nabd.org.uk or by phone 0844 415 4849

The NABD, is a biker's charity run by bikers for bikers with disabilities and it needs your help now...

Rick Hulse
NABD Chairman
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NABD Treasurer
National Association for Bikers with a Disability
Reg Charity No. 1040907

[G]

What do the grants pay for? Who does the work?

I disagree with the leaning towards trikes of the NABD, but would quite possibly donate my own time to help adapt motorcycles if that sort of system is or could be used.

[Born2bVile]

[alexknight200...]

I was just wondering if there are any biking enthusiasts who have donated or would think about donating/fundraising for this organisation??

The reason i ask is that they provide an extremely useful service for bikers who are no longer able to ride their bike without adaptions.

Just wondering also if there is any one in the Somerset area who would be willing to to a 'fundraiser' with me??

They also provide a quarterly magazine for members but find it difficult to fund this magazine.

Ideas for fundraisers wouls also be good.

Alex
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Current stable: Yamaha XVS 650 1996 - Honda Super Magna VF750 1988.

[Rogerborg]

trikeschick on here is into it. It seems like a decent bunch of folk doing good things - the adaptations section is worth a look.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[alexknight200...]

I have the kliktronic device fitted which has proved a godsend.

I would like to raise some money even if it is just a small amount for a worthy cause.

Who knows who may need an adaption one day.
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Current stable: Yamaha XVS 650 1996 - Honda Super Magna VF750 1988.

[c-m]