The Logistics Behind Moving a Giant Brain!
Working with Alzheimers Scotland
The Requirements
Following on from our work with other charities like the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital and the RZSS, we were very keen to help out Alzheimer’s Scotland with their giant brain called Babs!
Now Babs is a brilliant bit of kit. Not only is it the biggest brain we’ve ever seen, it also doubles as a handy visual learning aid to teach people about the how the brain works and what it needs to be healthy. Something that’s not regularly taught in school, so it’s really important that this brain gets out to as many locations as possible to raise awareness and provide education about Alzheimer’s disease.
Although transporting the brain to and from the venues around Scotland would be relatively straight forward, it was the care and attention required after the events that made this project a little different to everything else we’re used to moving. In order to ensure the brain was stored correctly and didn’t get any mould or moisture on it, it was required to inflate the brain and let it dry in the open air before being packed away. However, it would be the deflating of the brain that would cause us the most issues!
The Locations
As part of Alzheimers Scotland’s awareness project there are 11 different shows or festivals they’d like the brain to appear at. These included close-by shows at Newbridge and Ingliston, but there were also shows like the Highland Games in Inverness and a show down at Whitley bay.
With the shows only last a day or so, it wasn’t cost effective for us to stay on-site for the entire show. As a result our plan was to arrive before the event began, deliver the brain and then return at the end of the show to deflate, pack and transport the brain back to our temperature controlled warehouse.
However, with the Highland Games up in Inverness only lasting a day, the brain was sent up on a Friday afternoon, and the driver and porter drove back down. A fresh porter and driver were then sent up to Inverness on Saturday afternoon to collect the brain. Unfortunately, even although they arrived an hour before their scheduled pick-up time, the event over-ran and the brain wasn’t loaded until nearer 7pm, leaving a long drive home into the night!
Delivery & Collection
Although transporting the brain wasn’t too much of an issue, it was the sand bags used to weigh the brain down that proved to be a bit of an inconvenience. The first lot you pick up are ok, but when you get to your 20th sand bag they do seem to get a bit heavier!
Included with the brain are the aforementioned sand bags, which are included in the delivery, along with a large purple gazebo and an industrial blower to inflate the brain with.
Delivering and inflating the brain was fairly straight-forward, with the industrial blower doing most of the work. However, collecting it was a different story! Once the blower had been disconnected and the 3 main air flaps opened, the brain starts to deflate, but very slowly. Therefore, it was up to our crack team of movers to speed up this process! This involved our team throwing themselves onto one end of the brain and rolling like a child along the length of the brain to squash out the remaining air. After about 15 minutes of rolling, the brain was folded in on itself, before being rolled up and placed inside what looks strikingly like an oversize Sports Direct bag!
Drying and Storage
With the brain packed away inside it’s bag, and the sand bags carefully placed in their own wooden container, it’s now our job to ensure the brain and the equipment are in good condition to be used at the next event.
The biggest issue is when the brain has either been out in the wet, or placed onto wet grass. This create a lot of moisture that seeps inside the brain itself and must be removed before putting it into storage.
To remove the moisture we inflate the brain in our yard on hard concrete to limit any more moisture seeping in. With the pump attached we leave it inflated and running for a good few hours until there is no moisture left on the brain itself. As you can see from the following picture, the bubbles of moisture finding their way out, leaving us with a nice, dry and healthy brain ready for it’s next demonstration!
So, even although logistics are our bread and butter, moving things from place to place efficiently and safely, it’s really in the aftercare and attention after the event that really matters. Our reputation means a lot to us, and with over 65 years of moving experience, we’d like to think we know a thing or two about caring for other people’s belongings. So, if you’re looking for a logistics partner in the commercial space, give us a call, or drop us a message to see how we can help!
