A NATIONAL biker group have raised £16,500 for a Dorset-based charity by taking part in a gruelling 8000-mile relay around the country.

The Relay Riders, a group made of bikers from all over the country, were raising funds for Doc Bike, a charity set up by Dr Ian Mew, the UK’s first Motorcycle Emergency Response Trauma Doctor.

Dr Mew said: “Bikers accounts for 25 per cent of people killed or critically injured on the road but only one per cent of road users.

“We do all we can to stay safe but it makes a lot more sense to give bikers the skills to become more confident and knowledgeable drivers so they can not only enjoy the roads more but ensure they and others stay safe as well.”

Robyn Butcher, a member of Relay Riders, said: “We try and pick smaller charities because, although bigger charities do great things as well, the money that we can give makes a huge difference to a small charity. In the past year it has grown massively.”

Dr Mew, who works as an intensive care and an air ambulance doctor as his day job, is linked with other motorcyclists via radio who are able to contact him when there is an accident on the road. With a BMW RTP motorbike kitted out with a compact critical care monitor, defibrillator and other medical equipment, he is able to get to the scene quickly, secure it from other road users and provide vital medical assistance before the emergency services arrive.

At the recent Poole bike night, Dr Ian Mew was surprised by a big supporter of the charity, Harry Atkinson, who was one of the biggest contributors towards relay tour, clocking up 4,600 himself over 11 days. In support of the Doc Bike charity, the 18-year-old unveiled his newly spray-painted bike complete with the charity’s logo.

“I think that it is a great cause,” said Harry. “If someone comes up to me at a bike shop and asks me what that is, and we start talking about it, it can only help in spreading the word about the charity. I just think it’s a great idea and I want to show my support and help raise awareness for it.”

Harry has given hundreds of pounds of his own money to the charity and, as a thank you, Doc Bike has helped to fund him with his motorcycle qualifications.

Ian said: “Harry is a phenomenal advocate for the charity. He is a good individual to have on board because he is young, he rides his bike with other people, and he spreads the word about the charity. Over the next couple of years, we want to take him under our wing and help put him on his bike safety courses so he can continue to promote the charity.”

The Doc Bike charity aims to eradicate all motorcycle deaths, reduce all serious injuries caused in motorcycle crashes and help motorcyclists become more skilful and competent riders by promoting the use of motorcycle emergency responders around the country and driver awareness and accident prevention courses.

The charity is also working with Bournemouth University and other organisations to fund a university student to look into how the charity can work more effectively to save the lives of motorcyclists.

Dr Mew clarified: “The big thing for us is how do we know if it will make a difference. We have teamed up with Bournemouth University, along with a few other companies, to fund a PhD student through her studies so she can look into the effectiveness of motorcycle injury prevention.”

It is hoped that, on the back of this, the charity can grow further and through its work with the Trauma Audit and Research Network, Doc Bike has ambitions to roll out across the country.

“As we as a charity grow bigger,” Ian said, “we want to become more of a national entity. What I would like to see is a Doc Bike linked with every air ambulance unit around the country.

“It is a charity run by bikers for bikers and other motorists and it is al to keep us safe and continue enjoying our bikes.”