Our story so far…
Originally set up in May 2014 as Cumbria & Southwest Scotland Blood Bikes, following a chance conversation between Anne Hook and Bill Bertham (a former colleague of Dave Hook). Dave and Bill went on to be the founding members. Due to a difference in regulations between England and Scotland, the decision was made for the group to split in two and that is when Dumfries & Galloway Blood Bikes came to fruition, being formally registered as a Charity on 28th February 2015.
With no funding, no blood bikes and only 15 members, we began operating our service on 1st June 2015 using our own bikes and paying for our own fuel. In the first month we completed 14 runs for the patients of our NHS.
The first bike donated to us was a BMW K1200 in July 2015 by COLAS, a Civil Engineering company through employee Andrew Bird.
We had originally intended that our service would be an out of hours one, transporting urgent blood and samples between hospital facilities within Dumfries & Galloway. It became apparent that we could do more than this, and in August 2015 we became the first group in the UK to provide a 24 hour/365 a day service. In December 2015, with funding from the Morrisons Foundation and the NHS Endowment Fund we were able to purchase our first 3 Yamaha FJR 1300 bikes.
As the group evolved, we gained the full confidence of the NHS within our region who were very impressed with the service provided to them and the professional standards that the group set. In 2018, we were honoured to receive The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
We now respond to over 150 calls per month. In addition to dealing with urgent calls to transport blood samples, medication or equipment, we provide a daily run from Monday to Friday to Glasgow and to Edinburgh 3 days a week.
We are totally funded by donations and all members give their time free of charge. This helps to save the NHS thousands of pounds enabling them to fund other services within hospitals.
From being a Charity that was formed originally to save the NHS money, it soon became a reality that although the financial savings were important, the life-saving benefits out-weigh the financial savings.
Take a look at join us if you would like more information about becoming a volunteer with Dumfries & Galloway Blood Bikes.
Our first donated bike. a BMW K1200 in 2015
Our team proudly receiving The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2018
We are totally funded by donations and all members give their time free of charge. This helps to save the NHS thousands of pounds enabling them to fund other services within hospitals.
Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB)
Dumfries & Galloway Blood Bikes is a member of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB).
NABB is an umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of 32 member groups across the UK & Eire.
NABB’s principle aims are to:
- Aid the formation of new groups
- Assist member groups achieve their objectives
- Define a minimum professional operating standard for all members
- Raise awareness / sponsorship for the benefit of all NABB members.
Each NABB member performs a similar service, using motorcycles (and sometimes cars) to provide a free out-of-hours courier service to hospitals and other health institutions within their area. The charities carry urgently needed medical items such as blood, biological samples, medical notes, x-rays and scans. The service is offered free of charge to the NHS and all members are unpaid volunteers.
The existing NABB members reach more than 85% of the UK’s population and parts of Ireland, with further expansion planned, which will extend blood bike coverage to 54 million people.
Will your next journey save a life? Ours could.
For more information please visit: Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes Website