Severn Freewheelers EVS
‘Sixty volunteers, all trained motor bikers of the highest order, give their services twenty-four/three-sixty-five to transport blood, drugs, tissue and other medical requirements between hospitals, transfusion banks and what-have-you. In short, they are selfless heroes. From the ladies that guard the phones to the chaps with day jobs and families that biff about in all weathers, ready at a stroke to save your life and mine.’ Zog Ziegler, BBC Radio Gloucestershire's motoring correspondent
Severn Freewheelers, a blood-bike charity, consist of a group of advanced motorcyclists providing a free out-of-hours courier service for hospitals in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, North Wiltshire and Herefordshire. They carry all types of medical supplies between NHS facilities in the area, including blood, X-rays and patient notes and operate every evening between 7pm and 7am the following day. They also provide an all-day service on weekends.
Founded in 2007, the service was set up in order to provide efficient transport of necessary medical supplies between facilities, frequently delivering supplies for urgent cases. In doing so they have saved hospitals thousands of pounds in private taxi hire.
Severn Freewheelers is consistently recruiting new volunteers who wish to combine a desire to help in the community with a love for riding motorbikes. Each shift is covered by 4 volunteers with one dispatcher taking calls from hospitals and planning routes for the four riders who will be called upon to do the transporting. All riders are volunteers and must have an advanced riding qualification (Rospa or IAM) with a yearly check-ride. They also all receive extra training in emergency response riding and go through a first aid course, providing a professional team delivering a professional service. These volunteers are well-trained and generously give up their time to ride out in all weathers in order to deliver this life-saving service.
Created 15th January 2013. Updated 2021
Severn Freewheelers EVS benefit from Attend membership, which includes comprehensive charity insurance cover. For more information, or to join, please click here.
