North West Blood Bikes reach 100,000 delivery milestone

NWBB chairman John Garnett said the work was "always rewarding"

A team of volunteers who transport blood and medicine by motorbike have delivered their 100,000th package.

Motorcyclists from the North West Blood Bikes (NWBB) have travelled more than 1.5 million miles across Lancashire and South Cumbria since 2012.

The charity said it had saved the NHS more than £5.5m by transporting items and liquids including donor breast milk, patient notes and equipment.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said the group's work was "phenomenal".

The team marked the milestone on Tuesday with a routine mission, described by NWBB chairman John Garnett as "just another trip" for the group.

There are currently 299 riders in the North West and additional volunteer members who keep the operation running.

The North West Blood Bikes charity formed in 2012

The Lancashire NHS trust's pathology manager, Maria Burn, said when she initially heard about the concept she thought it was "hard to fathom" how it would be done at no cost.

"But that is exactly what happened," she said.

"Other hospitals were a little sceptical too but when I explained how it had helped us they quickly got on board with it."

Mr Garnett said the work was "always rewarding" and the role satisfaction "takes some beating".

"We are pretty sure that no other blood bikes group in the country can match us in terms of the number of trips we have made since we started," a spokesman for the NWBB added.

Volunteer Paul Pain urged volunteers and fundraisers to get involved

Volunteer Paul Pain was inspired to help after watching a TV programme about the blood bikes in 2012 and joined when he returned to the UK from the armed forces.

"It is amazing and I'm proud to be a part of this charity," said Mr Pain.

He said the charity was always looking for people to get involved and urged volunteers and fundraisers to get in touch to ensure their work can continue.

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