Blood bikes is the informal name for a type of emergency medical service in the United Kingdom and Ireland, who provide voluntary motorcycle courier services to hospitals and other healthcare providers, to help with the transport of urgent blood, tissue and organs.
Blood bikes have been in operation in England since 1962 when Margaret Ryerson and her husband formed the Emergency Volunteer Service (EVS) in Surrey. In 1969 this was followed by the Freewheelers youth community action group in Stevenage which initially served hospitals in Stevenage, Luton, Dunstable, Bedford and Hitchin. These original groups are no longer operating, but they inspired other groups to provide similar services.
The third group, which still operates today, was the Yeovil Freewheelers, founded by Cecil Turner in 1978. In 1981, SERV (which formed shortly after the original EVS disbanded) and the North East Thames Emergency Voluntary Service (also known as the EVS) in North East London, were founded. Thames EVS disbanded in 1999 but SERV continues to this day and now operates as a number of different groups. Other groups followed, and new groups continue to be created.
Groups are largely independent, and operate in collaboration with their local healthcare providers. Many are represented through the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB).
Areas stated are those primarily covered by each group, however collections, relay handovers and deliveries routinely take place further afield as and when circumstances demand.
England and Wales
Blood Bikes Cumbria — Cumbria (north)Blood Bikes Manchester — ManchesterBlood Bikes Wales — WalesBloodrun EVS — Cleveland, North YorkshireCornwall Blood Bikes — CornwallDerbyshire Blood Bikes — DerbyshireDevon Freewheelers — DevonFreewheelers EVS — Bath, Bristol, Gloucestershire (south), Somerset, West WiltshireLeicestershire and Rutland Blood Bikes — Leicestershire, RutlandLincolnshire Emergency Blood Bikes Service — LincolnshireMerseyside & Cheshire Blood Bikes — Cheshire (west), MerseysideMidland Freewheelers — West MidlandsNorth West Blood Bikes Lancashire & Lakes — Cumbria (south), LancashireNorthumbria Blood Bikes — County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and WearNottinghamshire Blood Bikes — NottinghamshireSERV Herts & Beds — Bedfordshire, HertfordshireSERV Kent — KentSERV Norfolk — NorfolkSERV OBN — Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, OxfordshireSERV Suffolk & Cambridgeshire — Cambridgeshire, SuffolkSERV Surrey & South London — South London, SurreySERV Sussex — SussexSERV Wessex — WessexSevern Freewheelers — Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Wiltshire, WorcestershireShropshire & Staffordshire Blood Bikes — Cheshire (south), Shropshire, StaffordshireWarwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes — Solihull, WarwickshireWhiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes — Cleveland, YorkshireYeovil Freewheelers — Dorset, SomersetIreland
Blood Bike Dublin — DublinBlood Bike Leinster — LeinsterBlood Bike Mid West — Croom, Ennis, Limerick City, NenaghBlood Bike West — GalwayBlood Bikes East — Greater DublinNortheast Bloodrunners — Cavan, Louth, MonaghanScotland
Blood Bikes Scotland — Fife, Lothians, Scottish BordersDumfries & Galloway Blood Bikes — South West ScotlandLife Savers Scotland — LanarkshireNorth East Rider Volunteers Scotland — North East ScotlandScotsERVS — Glasgow
