Who are you? I am Andy Smith, I am married to Alison, we have two grown up children and we live in Peasedown St John, just south of Bath.

How long have you been riding and what bike do you normally ride? I wanted to start riding when I was seventeen, but despite the plans for financing a Yamaha RD250 in 1977, I never got round to it.  I started driving when I was seventeen and took my first IAM test in 1983, becoming an Observer for the Bath IAM Group in 1985.  I think this gave me a greater appreciation of Roadcraft which has been invaluable when on two wheels.  I first rode in October 1994, passing my CBT and I got my first bike, a Kawasaki GPz500S in January 1995.  I took some advanced training with Bristol IAM Group and did a course with Salisbury Plain Advanced Motorcyclists before joining my current club, Avon Advanced Motorcycle Club.  It was with AAMC that I took my first RoSPA test in 1999 and attained a Silver pass.  Subsequent tests (compulsory re-tests every three years) have seen me get Gold and Silver (Car) and I currently hold a Gold standard pass from 2008.  I replaced my GPz500S with a 1995 ZZR600 in 1998, I changed that for a 1998 ZX6R in April 2000 and then in 2001 I bought my first new machine, an Aprilia SL1000 Falco.  In 2007 I rode the Falco very little, but rode the Honda Pan European for Freewheelers more frequently and this made the Falco comparatively less comfortable to ride, so in March 2008 I changed my bike again to my current bike, an Aprilia Tuono 1000R.  I ride the Tuono for pleasure, to Freewheelers meetings and fundraisers and on Club rides with AAMC. I have covered some 8,000 miles on it in the last 18 months.

What do you do for Freewheelers? I am a rider on the East (Bath) bike covering the Hospitals around Bath, North Somerset, West Wiltshire and occasionally over to Bristol.  I also undertake duty as a Co-ordinator, so then I will receive all the calls from the NHS and will allocate jobs to the appropriate rider of the three duty bikes.  This job also involves a duty of care for the riders, knowing (roughly) where they all are and making sure that they are not on the road for long periods without some rest.  The last thing we want is to add to the burden of the NHS!  This duty of care extends to ensuring that all riders are safely home once they have completed their jobs.  I also attend as many of the Freewheelers fund-raising events as I can, as this is an important part of the commitment, without which we would not be able to continue.

How long have you been with Freewheelers and why did you join? I joined Freewheelers in October 2006 following an earlier approach in 2003 from Mike Cummins, one of the founder members of the Bath area.  I worked overseas for much of 2004 and so did not follow up Mike’s approach, but I did keep it in mind for later on.  In 2006, my parents pointed out an advertisement in the Bath Chronicle seeking new riders and there was also an article in TREADS, the newsletter of AAMC.  I thought that as there was obviously a demand for Bath riders, I’d send an e-mail to make enquiries to see if Freewheelers would have me.  I got a response within an hour or two and very soon had an appointment for an assessed ride.   My first duty was the week leading up to Christmas in 2006 and it was dark and wet with persistent freezing fog – not the best induction, but at least I knew how bad it could get!

What really made me consider joining is that I believe that motorcycling generally gets a bad press and so this is a way of presenting a very positive way in which Motorcyclists provide a valuable and potentially life-saving service to the whole community.

What do you like most about volunteering for Freewheelers? Having a really good purpose to ride for and the opportunity to ride throughout the year, which is very valuable in terms of forcing you to maintain your riding skills throughout the winter when it would be easier and more comfortable to choose not to venture out in the inclement conditions! It is also very rewarding when you hear from somebody who has benefited from the service that we provide and it’s a good feeling to know that you are helping others.

What do you least like about volunteering for Freewheelers? Being taken for granted – sometimes it feels that we are treated as just a messenger, not everyone realises that we are all volunteers and that we do this because we love riding and that we feel that this is a way in which we may contribute a valuable service to those that need it, when they need it. And…. waiting all evening for the phone to ring, deciding that it’s unlikely there will be a call so going to bed, only to be woken by the phone ringing about 20 minutes later when you are warm and comfortable!  Usually on a cold, wet, slippery, foggy winter’s night!!!

Tell us about something memorable about your work for Freewheelers? Two things.  My longest night of duty in May 2008 (after a day at work of course) which started at 19:00, involving my Daughter driving me to Weston Super Mare to collect the bike, then collecting a job from Weston General Hospital for delivery to Bristol Royal Infirmary, then collecting a Computer Disk from Southmead Hospital for delivery to Queen Anne’s Hospital in Birmingham.  I collected from Southmead at 22:30, delivered in Birmingham at just after midnight, (without the use of Sat-Nav and with a few de-tours in Birmingham I might add!).  I then headed back south, stopping for refreshment in the motorway services at about 01:30 and finally got home at about 02:45. The other was earlier this year when I arrived twice in the same evening at the Royal United Hospital and I was stopped by two different people and enviously asked exactly the same question….. "What do you have to do, to get a job like yours?"

Anything else you want to add? Just to say thank you to Alison, Kate and Daniel for indulging me to allow me to spend the time to be a Freewheeler, for the taxi service to allow me to collect and pass on the duty bike from other riders and to apologise for the lost sleep and broken nights when the phone rings.