Lives may be saved thanks to Calne Lions, who raised over £16,500 for a vital service transporting blood to patients in need.

The town's branch of the international voluntary organisation committed all of their fundraising efforts towards buying a Freewheelers Blood Bike since July 2018.

These bikes transport blood, breast milk and prescriptions during the hours that NHS bikes are not in operation.

Phil Viles, Calne Lions president, explained the Freewheelers do 'wonderful work'.

He said: "The work that the Freewheelers do is amazing, and affects so many people who are in need of their service.

"It's unbelievable how much money we were able to raise for this extremely worthy cause.

"Without the support of the Calne Lions, as well as Calne's businesses and residents, it would not have been possible to raise this amount.

"We put in even more work this year than we normally do and it paid off.

"It was a complete team effort, everyone got behind the project and did their bit."

The £16,553 used to buy the new Blood Bike was raised from a series of events in the past year.

A ball, held at Wellington Barn, involved a three course meal, a silent auction, and a raffle, raising £4,800.

The Lions also held their annual duck race in May, which raised a staggering £6,500 as well.

Freewheeler Matt Goodall said: “The gift of a new bike is just amazing.

"It gives us a new bike to help us continue to provide a regular reliable service and keep more of our bikes out on the road."

The volunteers work out of NHS hours, which are 6am-6pm between Monday and Friday, by transporting vital items to ensure patients can still be treated.