Florence Park Midwives

The Florence Park Midwives lease an e-bike from Bainton Bikes that has proved so popular with their staff that they’ve created a nickname for her: Betty. Midwives can have quite a bit of of equipment to carry - scales for weighing the baby, lancets, plasters and tubes for the heel prick tests. But with two panniers and a custom basket, Betty is up to the task and helps the midwives to offer a truly door-to-door service anywhere in East Oxford. All while injecting a bit of exercise and efficiency into a busy and sometimes demanding role. “It’s already been brilliant to have another option to quickly get around the city,” says Amanda, the Community Midwife Team Lead. “And it all feels very Call the Midwife.”

Ann, a Maternity Support Worker, says she finds the electric bike much easier than a normal bike, and especially useful for visiting homes in the LTNs. She has recently borrowed it for commuting too, and is thinking of buying one of her own. Before they had the bike, Ann had to contend with traffic in St Clements being especially bad at the start and finish of the day. She was sometimes even unable to get to all of her patients because of it. With the bike, she says: “It’s great for my mental health. You don’t get frustrated sitting in the car, and it’s lovely to go home and not have to sit in traffic."