A vital charity is appealing for new volunteers so that it can continue to provide its much-needed service.

The Yeovil Freewheelers, better known as YFW Blood Bikes, are currently seeking volunteers to join the charity as the need for their service grows.

The charity covers both Dorset and Yeovil.

YBW Blood Bikes will be hosting a fundraising and recruitment event on Sunday, August 18 on Weymouth Esplanade from 10am.

At present the charity is made up of more than 100 members, some of whom are retired and others who work full and part-time jobs and donate their time for free.

Volunteer Kris Knapton said: “We would really like to find additional volunteers in the area, and we are looking for every role, not just the riders. We have had a really busy year.

“General costs are going up and it’s the generous donations that are keeping the fleet on the road.

“A couple of weeks ago we had to get medical equipment to Dorset County Hospital otherwise they would have had to transfer the patient from Dorchester to Southampton for surgery.

“The thanks that we get from the hospital is phenomenal.”

YFW Blood Bikes is a not-for-profit charity that provides a free 24/7 emergency medical courier service to local NHS Trusts, which at times can be a life-saving service, transporting a range of items such as blood, platelets, blood and tissue samples, medication and medical equipment when urgently required.

Kris added: “Many think that to get involved with the charity they must be able to ride a motorcycle or hold an advanced rider qualification.

“Although this is true for becoming a rider, the reality is that we also have many non-riding roles that are just as important as our riders.

"Without members of our events team attending various fundraising events, to our controllers answering calls from the hospitals we support our riders and the charity as a whole would not be able to continue providing the free emergency services we do and have done since 1978, resulting in being the longest service group in the UK.

"We will have volunteers from a range of different roles within the charity, who can explain more about what is involved, along with one of our marked bikes to grab a picture on and have a look around."


For more information, visit www.yfwbloodbikes.org.