Shropshire Blood Bikes celebrate their first birthday
A lifesaving charity staffed by volunteers that delivers blood to hospitals at all hours of the day has celebrated its first year in operation.
Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes launched in January 2014 and since then its motorcyclists have made more than 510 deliveries to hospitals.
While similar charities have been operating across many parts of the country in recent years, Blood Bikes is rapidly expanding and is in need of more help.
More than 510 call outs in the first year
Around 100 volunteers, including 40 riders
It costs between £6,000 and £12,000 to buy and run one bike
They have eight bikes in total
They also transport medical records and emergency breast milk
The most calls received in one night is four
Blood Bikes saved the Royal Stoke Hospital around £12,000 in their first year
The bikes cannot break the speed limits as they are not emergency services
There are three husband and wife teams in the Blood Bikes
For more information on the Blood Bikes visit shropshireandstaffordshirebloodbikes.wordpress.com
The service it provides covers both Shropshire and Staffordshire but they can be asked to deliver to hospitals as far away as Bristol.
The charity's volunteers provide free, out-of-hours, urgent transportation of life-saving medical supplies to NHS hospitals.
Without Blood Bikes, a taxi or courier would be used, costing hospitals around £250 each time.
The charity's riders regularly transport blood samples between hospitals in Shropshire and Staffordshire and the Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham and Birmingham Children's Hospital.
They have also made deliveries to the Sir Robert Peel community hospital in Tamworth, and in December they started offering the service to the University Hospitals of North Midlands covering Stoke and Stafford.
As well as transporting blood they also deliver cerebral spinal fluid, donated breast milk for tiny babies, patient records and medical equipment.
With around 40 riders and six controllers giving up their time to volunteer, it is clear to see that the Blood Bikes have become a vital resource for hospitals across the region.
But members say because they are normally called out in the early hours of the morning not many people actually know they exist, which is why they are asking for more people join them and help save lives.
One rider, retired prison officer Steve Clarke, 57, from Clive near Wem, said: "I am so proud to say I am a volunteer, it is a great to give something back. Plus it gives me an excuse to go out on my bike.
"Sometimes I have been called out three times in one night, but sometimes I will wake up in the morning without being asked to go out at all. That can be quite disappointing as you are all ready and waiting to go, and the adrenalin kicks in but you don't get a call.
"But when you do arrive at the hospital and nurses are waiting for you outside, you feel a sense of pride because you know that you may have just saved someone's life.
"We really do need more people to help us out as we are growing."
Steve is married to Mandy who is a controller for the charity.
Since the charity was set up in January 2014 they have been called out around 510 times to help hospitals in need, and they say they have managed to save some hospitals more than £12,000.
If the Blood Bikes were not around hospitals would use taxis to transport the emergency medical supplies, which can take longer causing valuable time to be lost.
Another volunteer, estate agent Paul Collyer, 53, from St Georges, Telford, said no matter what the weather – rain or shine – they are always ready and happy to go.
"Just before Christmas I was called out, and when I set off with the blood there were a few road closures in place," he said. "So I ended up having to go down some country lanes.
"As I was riding my bike started to feel a bit funny, so I pulled over only to discover that I have a puncture in rear tyre. Because I didn't know the road and the controller didn't know the road we had to call the AA.
"It was pretty strange pulling up to the hospital on the back of an AA truck I have to admit but at least we got the delivery there safe."
The charity is always raising funds and when Blood Bikes started they set themselves a target of raising enough money to buy one bike. A year later, they have eight.
One kind donation came from Mike and Marion Harris who generously gave £12,000 to buy two Honda Pan European ST1300 Blood Bikes in memory of their daughter Jo, who died aged 24. And the two bikes were named Jo-Jo and Joanne after their daughter.
Joanne Harris was born with Down's Syndrome and was waiting for a new heart when she died in April 2008.
Her parents together with Jo's aunt Viv McCarthy set-up a charity called A Heart for Jo.
The charity was supported by the first Big Brother winner Craig Phillips, who donated his £70,000 prize to help Jo.
When Jo died, her family and trustees of the charity decided to donate some of the money to another worthwhile cause – so they choose the Blood Bikes.
Marion said: "Sadly Jo died before she could receive a new heart but the trustees of the charity wanted to use the donated funds to support other worthy causes like the Blood Bikes."
The charity is constantly appearing at bike shows to help raise its profile.
Optometric Clinical Assistant Helen Bundy, 61, from Gnosall, near Newport, who runs training courses as well as being a controller for the charity is encouraging people to volunteer and help out.
"You don't have to be a rider," she said. "You can just help us raise money, or become a controller like myself, but any time anyone can give up would be brilliant.
"We are very flexible and we don't force you to work when you can't. You may only be able to one night a month, or you could do every night, it doesn't matter."
Helen's husband Nigel is a rider. They have two sons and their eldest Oliver, 24, is also a volunteer for Blood Bikes.
