WARWICKSHIRE Road Safety Partnership is revving support for The Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes 5 Capitals UK tour to raise much needed funds for a new ‘blood bike’ to help support the NHS.
The 5 Capitals Tour set off from Coventry Cathedral ruins at 5am today (Friday) and the blood bike volunteers will then head north to Edinburgh, then on to Belfast, Dublin, back to the mainland on to Cardiff and finish in London the following day.
Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes provide the urgent delivery of blood, plasma, platelets, and other vital medical supplies to hospitals outside of normal working hours.
These supplies are crucial for emergency transfusions, surgeries, and other life-saving procedures. To do this the charity has a fleet of specially equipped motorcycles, ridden by advanced motorcycle rider volunteers who are able to navigate through traffic quickly and efficiently, so that time-sensitive supplies reach their destinations promptly.
The charity is entirely dependent on charitable donations from individuals, businesses and fundraising efforts to cover its operational costs, including the purchase, maintenance and fuel expenses for motorcycles.
The money raised during the tour will go directly to the purchase of a new motorbike to replace an older fleet vehicle so that the Blood Bikers can continue to offer their emergency response service, completely free of charge to the NHS.
Speaking on behalf of Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes, Phil MacRae said “All the riders, dispatchers and management teams are volunteers and offer their time and services for free so the charity can provide a cost-free, essential transportation service for hospitals in the Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull regions of England.
“The generosity of donors and supporters is crucial to keeping our Blood Bikes on the road so that we continue to ride to save lives. Every Day.
Sgt Shaun Bridle added “The 150 blood bike volunteers play a vital role in saving lives on our roads following a collision. They give their time, for free, at a moment’s notice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to transport life-saving blood and specialist test equipment and medicines to vulnerable patients, completely free of charge to the NHS.
“As a partnership we will do what we can to support their tour by helping raise awareness of their work and at the same time encouraging people to donate what they can for a new duty bike.”
To donate towards a new blood bike, visit www.gofundme.com/f/5-capitals-tour
Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes are also looking for more volunteers to join them. There are lots of roles available, and volunteers do not have to be a biker.
All of its dedicated members are unpaid volunteers and together provide an around-the-clock service to support hospitals in their area. WSBB has over 150 active members contributing their time in several operational roles on a continuous rota system throughout the year.
For more information visit www.wsbb.org
