A PETITION calling for blood bikers to be allowed to use green emergency lights has been launched following the death of a second Pembrokeshire volunteer rider within six months.

Volunteer blood biker Andrew Rogers, aged 61, from Hayscastle, died following a collision on the A48 on Monday (Dec 29) while carrying out his duties.

Mr Rogers was volunteering at the time of the incident. In a tribute, his family described him as “well known, loved, respected and extremely knowledgeable”.

They said he was deeply passionate about his role as a blood biker, as well as his work helping others through volunteering and as a street pastor.

His death comes just six months after another Pembrokeshire blood biker was killed while on duty.

On Tuesday (July 2, 2025), Timothy Minett, known as Tim, aged 78, died following a crash on the A478 between Glandy Cross and Blaenffos while riding for Blood Bikes Wales.

In October, more than one hundred blood bikers from across the UK took part in a memorial ride to honour Mr Minett.

Lesley Isaacs-Penny, vice-chair of Blood Bikes Wales, said: “It was very touching. Tim’s family were there — they couldn’t believe how many people had come and were really grateful.”

Blood Bikes Wales is one of thirty-six volunteer-run blood bike groups across the UK, providing a free, life-saving service to the NHS by transporting blood, organs, medication, and other urgent medical supplies.

Following the latest tragedy, fellow blood biker Louise Lunt has launched a petition on Change.org calling for blood bikers to be permitted to use green emergency headlights to improve visibility during emergency runs.

She said: “As a dedicated blood biker, I have witnessed first-hand the challenges we face on the roads while performing our voluntary duties.

“Recently, a fellow blood biker tragically lost their life on duty, marking the second such incident in just a few months. Before these incidents, another blood biker sadly died on shift in Lancashire.”

Ms Lunt said the visibility of blood bikers — who often operate at night and out of hours — is “alarmingly limited”, despite the critical nature of their work.

She is campaigning for green lights to be legally permitted on blood bikes, similar to the blue lights used by emergency services.

“Much like ambulances and police vehicles, green lights would significantly improve our visibility and alert other road users to our role,” she said.

She added that road safety studies suggest high-visibility lighting can reduce accident risk by up to sixty per cent.

“Allowing green lights could help prevent further tragic incidents,” she said. “We urge decision-makers to recognise the vital role blood bikers play and support this small but potentially life-saving change.”

The petition has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures. Those wishing to support the campaign can find it on Change.org by searching Grant permission for blood bikers to use green lights.

KIND-HEARTED shoppers at Tesco Cardigan Superstore have donated more than 350 toys to help local children enjoy Christmas.

Customers responded to the store’s Christmas Toy Donation campaign by leaving 360 brand-new toys at an in-store collection point in the weeks leading up to the festive period. The gifts were donated to Home-Start Ceredigion, which distributed them to families across the area so children had presents to open on Christmas Day.

The campaign was aimed at supporting families who may otherwise struggle to provide gifts during what can be a difficult time of year.

Store manager Ceri Gough said the response from the community had been “fantastic”, adding that the store takes pride in supporting local causes through Tesco’s Stronger Starts and Community Food Connection programmes.

“This year’s toy donation campaign gave customers a great opportunity to support local families and ensure children in our community had something to open on Christmas Day,” she said. “We are extremely grateful to everyone who donated and helped bring some festive joy to local families.”

She added that Tesco Cardigan had worked with Home-Start previously and hoped the partnership would continue to grow.

Claire De Silva, Tesco’s Head of Communities, also thanked shoppers for their generosity.

“Our stores support children and communities throughout the year, and local people never fail to get behind these efforts,” she said. “Once again, the people of Cardigan have shown the magic of Christmas is alive and well, helping to make a lot of children very happy.”

The Toy Donation campaign ran in Tesco stores across the UK in November and December, with almost 75,000 gifts donated nationally by customers.

NATIONAL GRID Electricity Distribution has urged customers across West Wales to prepare for potential power cuts as Storm Goretti is forecast to bring snow, heavy rain and strong winds to the region.

The company said the electricity network is designed to be resilient, but extreme weather can still cause disruption. High winds can damage equipment, while freezing conditions can lead to ice building up on overhead power lines, increasing the risk of faults.

Extra engineering and customer support teams have been placed on standby to respond quickly should the storm impact power supplies.

Roisin Quinn, Field Operations Director at National Grid Electricity Distribution, said the organisation had been preparing for severe weather throughout the year.

She said: “Our electricity network is built to be resilient, and we prepare year-round to ensure our teams are ready to respond quickly to any damage caused by Storm Goretti.

“We understand how worrying severe weather can be. That’s why our engineers, contact centre staff and welfare teams are ready to support customers, whatever the storm brings.

“Our control centre will be operating 24/7 to manage supplies and coordinate a rapid response if power lines are affected. We’ve increased staffing across our engineering and customer