Junior Covid doctor gets new bike after old one was stolen following 13-hour shift at Milton Keynes Hospital

A junior doctor working on the Covid ward at Milton Keynes Hospital has been thrown a lifeline after his bike was nicked from the staff cycle shed stolen

Award-winning medic, Dr Andrew Dooley, approached MK Citizen after the theft, hoping that someone knew the whereabouts of his bike.

And his frustrating experience caught the attention of retailer Halfords which has replaced his old bike with the latest Boardman ADV 8.6 model.

A Halfords spokesman said: “It’s the right thing to do. As soon as we saw Andrew’s story we put the wheels in motion and worked with the team at Milton Keynes University Hospital to organise this.

"We’re trying to do our bit for all the NHS and emergency workers and other unsung heroes across the community who seem to become an easy target for unscrupulous thieves.

"Thefts like this can be incredibly disruptive, especially at such a critical time when it can leave many frontline workers without a vital mode of transport. Fortunately there is widespread support from the public and companies doing their bit to keep emergency workers on the road."

MK Citizen reported the story earlier this month when Andrew told us how gutted he was to find the bike stolen.

He said: "I didn't expect it to be taken from the staff bike shed. I had just finished the night shift."

And like many others, he had found the bike a real boost to his mental health during the pandemic - as well as getting him to and from work.

He said: "I bought a nice new bike because I had been struggling in lockdown. In terms of stress of work, I've been on the Covid ward. It's been hard."

Cllr Alice Jenkins, who helped organise the replacement bike, said: ‘’I’m really grateful to Halfords for agreeing to donate a bike to Dr Dooley. After all his hard work over the past few months, the good deed is well deserved.”

A spokesperson for the hospital charity said: “Thank you so much to Halfords for replacing Dr Dooley’s bike – and to Cllr Alice Jenkins, who got in touch to help organise the handover too. Once again the community have pulled together to support our brilliant, hard-working staff. Thank you.”