If you are a regular reader of Asphalt & Rubber, then you surely have seen our banners supporting Riders for Health, one of the great charities to come out of the motorcycle industry.
The non-profit organization, based out of the UK, provides healthcare services to remote locations in Africa, utilizing motorcycles to traverse the uncertain terrain.
Started by Andrea and Barry Coleman, along with Randy Mamola (yes, that Randy Mamola), Riders for Health even had HRH Princess Anne as its patron, with major support from the FIM and the MotoGP Championship as well.
If you attended a MotoGP round in the US or UK, then you may have seen the Riders for Health auctions, or participated in the Day of Stars or Day of Champions events.
Therefore, it is unfortunate for us to report that Riders for Health will be closing its UK offices, effectively ending the charity’s operations.
Thankfully, some of Riders’ operations in a number of African countries will continue on despite this closure, as their operations have already transferred to local actors, governments, or organizations.
The Riders for Health website directs now only to a public statement about its state of affairs, that message is reproduced below:
After a long and inspiring history, Riders for Health in the UK will be closing in the coming weeks.
The past two years have been difficult financially for Riders for Health UK and we have been unable to secure enough income to cover our operating costs. Great efforts have been made to turn this situation around, reducing expenses, cutting the size of our UK team and assessing all possible ways forward, including exploring the opportunity for a partnership or merger. None of these has proved sufficient however to secure the long-term future of the UK office and as a consequence, the Riders board of trustees has taken the difficult decision to close.
Despite this being a sad time for everyone associated with Riders UK, our priority has always been to safeguard Riders for Health’s programmes in Africa. Although the UK office will close, we are pleased to say that the Riders for Health’s programmes in Liberia, The Gambia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya and Malawi will continue, ensuring that vital healthcare continues to reach the remote African communities who so urgently need it.
We would like to thank all our generous donors and supporters who have contributed to Riders’ success over the past 25 years. To our loyal volunteers and followers, not to mention the generosity and warmth of the international motorcycling community from where Riders for Heath was born, we would like to express our deep appreciation and thanks. And, of course, the Founders, Andrea and Barry Coleman and Randy Mamola, without whose vision and energy Riders for Health would not have existed. The support received through Riders UK, that we hope our programmes will continue to receive, has been enormously valued and the legacy of this support will live on through Riders for Health’s programmes in Africa.
Source: Riders for Health
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