Volunteer's 400-mile trip to deliver transplant

Jeff Roll (left) drove with a transplant to meet Andy in Devon, for it to then be transported in Cornwall

A blood biker who helped deliver an urgent transplant from Birmingham to Cornwall has been praised for "going the extra mile".

Jeff Roll, 65, is part of Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire Blood Bikes group and said a patient in Truro needed an urgent faecal microbiota transplant (FMT).

The groups, which are found all around the UK, are staffed purely by volunteers and due to one team being unavailable, it meant Mr Roll made the full journey to Cullompton services in Devon, to drop it off with the Cornwall Blood Bikes.

"FMT is a vital thing, it was to help out a very poorly person," Mr Roll said.

FMT is the transfer of the gut bacteria and other components in faeces from a screened healthy donor to an individual with a specific disease with the aim of treating the disease.

Mr Roll left his home in Cheshire at 05:45 BST on Tuesday to pick up the FMT from the Birmingham Microbiome Centre, part of the University.

He said on this occasion he took one of the four blood cars the group has.

He then arrived at the service station at 09:45 to meet Andy from the Cornwall Blood Bikes, who would then do the final leg of the journey to Truro.

'Rewarding'

"I didn't even know what FMT was until I had to carry it," Mr Roll said.

Once FMT is out of the freezer, it lasts four hours at room temperature or up to eight hours refrigerated before it needs to be administered.

However, it is generally recommended that FMT is used within six hours after defrosting to ensure the effectiveness.

Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire Blood Bikes said Mr Roll went the extra mile by doing a nearly 400-mile round trip.

Mr Roll, who has been volunteering in the group for seven years, said it is "a real team effort".

He added he usually rode with the North Staffordshire team and had done about 400 shifts in the past two years.

The groups rely purely on charitable donations and are used by the NHS.

"I like to provide something to the community, it's rewarding," Mr Roll added.