|
|
 |
| |
Colin Rickard with his vintage Ariel motorcycle |
On your bike – friends tell retiring Colin
Colleagues chip in to buy Royal Free manager a vintage motorcycle
THE retirement party of a senior Royal Free Hospital manager had an unexpected twist when staff told him to get on his bike – literally. Colleagues of retiring projects manager Colin Rickard, who in 23 years has spent £200m on maintaining the buildings at the Pond Street hospital, chipped together to buy him a vintage Ariel motorbike which they handed over at a party at the hospital on Friday.
The motorcycle buff collects vintage motorbikes – and uses them on sponsored rides to raise cash for the Free-based leukaemia charity the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.
His regular trips include riding from Canterbury to Jerusalem, and he has toured all the capital cities of the new countries in the European Union – a trip which raised 100,000 Euros for the Trust.
The Free covers 1.3 million square feet, making it one of the biggest buildings in the NHS – and Colin’s job was to make sure it was all running smoothly. He originally trained as a quantity surveyor and then after years managing private building projects decided to use his skills for the public sector.
He said: “I loved the challenge of maintaining such a complex building.
“The electricity used has doubled since I started. Beds have gone from 700 to 1,000. Keeping abreast of advances in medical technology means you always have to be planning for new engineering and electrical systems. It has been a fantastic challenge.”
Mr Rickard had his first motorbike when he was 16 and has owned one ever since. This includes a 1928, 350cc ‘New Imperial’ – “it does a respectable 30 miles per hour’ – and a 1944 BSA made for the British Army.
Mr Rickard’s model was built in 1956 and then exported to India, where it stayed for 40 years. Ariel, the Birmingham based motorbike company made their first bike in 1885 and was one of the most sought after British built marques.
It was then found by a Danish collector, who restored it – and then sold it on to Mr Rickard’s colleagues.
Mr Rickard added: “It was a wonderful surprise.”
Lights go out at the Royal Free
THE ROYAL Free Hospital, Hampstead have saved £280 000 in electricity costs, Andrew Way, Chief Executive said: “I asked staff to carry out simple daily tasks to reduce energy costs – common sense things such as switching off lights after meetings. Our combined effort was successful and has helped to halt and even reverse the expected upward trend in energy use at the hospital.”
The large saving comes at a significant time as the hospital is applying for foundation trust status, Mr Way added: “The quality of service to our patients is the bottom line and any extra resource we have to help us achieve this is obviously very positive.”
|
 |
|
|
|
