Shropshire Blood Bikes: The lifesavers on two wheels

But that is the reality for the volunteers of Shropshire's Blood Bikes, who are quickly becoming an integral part of health care across the county.

Only formed in January, the Blood Bikes are already a familiar sight on the region's roads, having chalked up more than 140 missions, while raising £41,000 in just seven months.

The team is a volunteer service for the out-of-hours delivery of blood and other medical items, such as breast milk for premature babies and microbiological samples,

It operates 24/7, providing emergency transport every night, at weekends and over bank holidays. It is funded by donations and is free of charge to the NHS.

The team's success means they are the second nomination for the Public Choice Award in The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust Awards 2014. You'll find out how you can vote for them or any of the other nominees, who we'll be profiling all week, in Saturday's Shropshire Star.

Head biomedical scientist at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Richard Pearce, explains just how important the role of the volunteer force is.

"On a regular basis we need to transport samples, sometimes urgently, between Shrewsbury and Telford, and occasionally from here in Shropshire to Birmingham. In the past it has been quite difficult, out of hours, to get those samples moving quickly," he said.

"It's made a huge difference to us to be able to rely on these guys to get those samples moving for us.

"Potentially they are helping to save lives. There are certainly times when the quicker we can get results back, the better the chances are for patients.

"And, at the same time, they are saving the NHS lots of money."

Indeed Sandy Harper, one of the bikers, believes that he and his intrepid band of brothers have already saved the NHS somewhere in the region of £14,000 in those first seven months.

"If you look at the figures, it's not unrealistic to think that the equivalent cost of taxi journeys would save the NHS somewhere near that figure, particularly at the times when we're operating," he said.

In those seven months Mr Taylor reckons the Blood Bikes have already become indespensible.

"It's been a huge success, we are certainly becoming reliant on them out of hours," he said.

It's a view shared by Mr Taylor's colleague, Sarah Gilbert.

"What they do is amazing. They get up at stupid o'clock, drive to Telford, pick up a sample and bring it to us and all for no money. They are doing it for nothing."

The driving force (forgive the pun) behind the Blood Bikes is Chris Powdrill from Market Drayton, who is still doing regular turns on the rota in his 70s.

Chris said: "It started in June last year when a meeting was first held in Telford. From then we have grown in number. We have members who come from all walks of life. Some, like myself, are retired and there are some in full-time employment who are giving up their spare time.

"Recently we've started getting plenty of retired police motorcycle riders who are looking to carry on riding, but with a different purpose."

The blood bikers aim to be on site within 45 minutes – whether it is at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the Princess Royal in Telford, the Orthopaedic in Gobowen, near Oswestry, or the University Hospital in North Staffordshire.

As well as the invaluable work they perform for our hospitals, there's a chance you'll see the bikers out and about raising money at events across the county this summer.

"At the start of the year, our business plan was to raise £10,000 by the end of year, and so far we're up to £41,000, which isn't too shabby," Mr Powdrill added.

Rather like organ or blood donors, the bikers never get to meet the people they are helping. Instead it's very much a labour of love and one that is becoming more and more crucial to healthcare in Shropshire.

Reason for the awards and how to take part:

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust's annual Trust Awards are designed to highlight the enthusiastic and innovative efforts of staff at the organisation.

Each year they provide a snapshot of the passion and commitment of the thousands of staff who work at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and in the community, seeking every day to provide the best possible care for half a million people across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales.

The Public Choice Award is one of the 10 awards – and the only one to be voted for by the public.

All week, we're bringing you the stories of the five nominees. You can find out how to vote in Saturday's Shropshire Star.

This year's awards will take place in the reception area of the Shropshire Women and Children's Centre at the PRH at 2pm on September 11.

The ceremony will take place ahead of the trust's annual general meeting, which will be held at 3pm in the Education Centre.

Almost 100 nominations were made, a figure on a par with last year. Short-listing has taken place and about 45 nominees have been chosen as the finalists in the awards.

This year there is a revamped set of awards, with a focus on the trust's new values – Proud To Care, Make It Happen, We Value Respect and Together We Achieve.

Four new awards focus on each of the trust's values and there is also a Public Choice Award, which will be open to staff and the wider community to vote for the winner through the Shropshire Star.

The award categories for 2014 are:

• Quality of Care

• Proud To Care

• Make It Happen

• We Value Respect

• Together We Achieve

• Public Choice

• Research and Development

• Academies

• Ward/Department of the Year

• Leader of the Year

A judging panel featuring executive and non-executive directors, senior managers, members of the public and a representative from a partner organisation will decide the winners (Public Choice aside) at the start of next month.

Members of the public are invited to the awards presentation and the AGM and the trust would be delighted if they can attend the event.

If possible people are asked to please let the trust know in advance if they are planning to attend. This will help to ensure there is an information pack available for them, and that they are provided with details about parking on the day.

The Membership Office can be contacted by calling (01743) 261473 or alternatively by emailing members@sath.nhs.uk

See also:

• Shining the spotlight on stars of Shropshire's health service

• Sue Lovett: Compassion the key for Shropshire nurses