CHIPPENHAM MP Michelle Donelan has described the Freewheelers Emergency Volunteer Service, otherwise known as Blood Bikes, as "unsung heroes" of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Freewheelers have stepped up their service during the pandemic to increase their existing coverage of Wiltshire and the surrounding area.

The volunteer organisation has charitable status and provides a free out-of-hours motorcycle courier service to hospitals in the South West.

Meeting the blood bikers in Chippenham, Miss Donelan said: “It was a pleasure to meet with the Freewheelers, just another example of the unsung heroes who have stepped up during the last 18 months to provide a service over and above the normal levels of commitment they have shown to the health and wellbeing of others.

“The volunteers depend entirely on public sponsorship and donations. Please consider having further look at the work they do.”

Freewheelers EVS have a slogan, Riding for Life, which perfectly describes the part they play in helping to save people’s lives and provide a valuable service to the NHS.

More than anything else they all ride because they love it but are filling a service provision gap that would otherwise be fulfilled by taxis or couriers.

The riders carry urgently required PPE and medical kit to NHS hospitals across Wiltshire or by handover to neighbouring blood bike groups for onward distribution.

Their cargoes include blood for transfusions; platelets or other blood products; blood, urine, or other tissue samples for analysis by pathology and microbiology laboratories; x-rays, scans and CD-ROMs; patient notes and frozen breast milk.

They also transport other medical items or small pieces of medical equipment such as syringes and cannulas.

Miss Donelan said: “They have been asked to carry large items such a wheelchairs in the past but unfortunately these are a bit too big for the bikes.”

In 2008, in recognition of the dedicated work of their volunteers, they were given The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest honour that a voluntary group can receive, equivalent in status to an MBE.

The charity runs four bikes in day-to-day service plus four spares.

During the Covid-19 pandemic they have also had additional riders available using their own bikes or cars to help with transportation of large quantities of PPE and medical kit.