NABB History
In November 2007 members from Dorset Freewheelers, Freewheelers EVS, SERV and Severn Freewheelers got together in Gloucester to discuss better collaboration between the groups. No national group has been established, but the different groups do cooperate with each other to help each other and assist in the setup of new groups.
history of blood bikes in the UK
Blood bikes have been established in the UK for nearly 40 years.
In the beginning
It all began on April 1st, 1969 in Stevenage, when Des Gibbons established a youth community action group named Freewheelers to encourage young bikers to use their riding skills to provide a fast and reliable transport service to local hospitals. This initial group served the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Hitchin Hospital and maternity unit and two hospitals in Bedford. They carried blood, drugs, plasma, diagnostic specimens and even human spare parts on occasions. Riders also delivered letters to doctors surgeries and collected spare breast milk from nursing mothers to take to the special care baby unit at the local maternity hospital. Unfortunately the Stevenage group, along with Albrighton Freewheelers in Shropshire, are no longer operating.
Using the Stevenage group as a model, Yeovil Freewheelers was established on December 4th, 1978 by Cecil Turner. The group, which was a youth service associated to the National Association of Youth Clubs, encouraged volunteers under 26 to increase their riding skills at the same time as delivering a valuable service to Yeovil District Hospital. Yeovil Freewheelers are still operational today, making around 300 deliveries saving the hospital an estimated £36,000 annually.
SERV
Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers, also known as SERV, was established in Surrey in April 1981. Over the years SERV expanded to cover Sussex, Kent and Essex. In 2007 SERV established a new group covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and Northamptonshire. In some of the counties where SERV operate, members use their own bikes and pay for their own fuel. Elsewhere the charity funds the use of its own specially adapted motorcycles for active duty and for fund raising and publicity purposes.
Freewheelers EVS
Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service was established in Weston-super-Mare in January 1991 by Paul Chadwick. The group, which has always owned and operated its own bikes, expanded to use two bikes covering the whole of Somerset and Bristol. In 2005 it added another bike to its fleet to cover Bath and the west of Wiltshire. Over the years it has had a number of different motorcycles including a Honda CX500, Yamaha Diversion, Honda Deauville, BMW K75, Honda Pan-European ST1100 and ST1300, and most recently the Yamaha FJR1300
Dorset Freewheelers
Dorset Freewheelers began their service in February 2007, initially covering hospitals in Bournemouth and Poole. They have recently expanded to cover the rest of Dorset and frequently make trips as far afield as Southampton and Portsmouth. Dorset Freewheelers own a Honda Pan-European ST1100 and a Honda Deauville.
Severn Freewheelers
Severn Freewheelers was established in March 2007, initially covering Cheltenham and Gloucester. Demand for their service was high resulting in a rapid expansion to cover Herefordshire, Worcestershire and North Wiltshire. In the first nine months following their launch, Severn Freewheelers volunteers took 830 calls and covered nearly 50,000 miles. Severn Freewheelers own a BMW R1200RT and three BMW R1150RT bikes.
BloodFast
BloodFast was established in June 2007 by Mark Atkins, covering Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. BloodFast operated five Honda Pan-European ST1100 bikes, a BMW 530D estate and a Vauxhall Vectra - all equipped with blue lights and sirens. As of 2010, Bloodfast are no longer operating.
White Knights EVS
White Knights EVS is based in North,West and South Yorkshire. It was started by recovering cancer patient Vic Siswick, who wanted to give something back to the hospitals that provided his life-saving treatment. White Knights EVS has been operational since mid-2008.
Moonrakers EVS
Moonrakers EVS are currently in the process of establishing a service in Wiltshire, with the aim of expanding into Berkshire and Hampshire in the future. After identifying a gap in the coverage area of the existing 'blood bike' organisations, a group of enthusiastic motorcyclists centred around Salisbury began the process of setting up Moonrakers EVS. They are now in the initial stages of gaining sponsorship and support from local businesses, and hope to fully operational in the near future.