Will your next journey save a life? This is one way that it could . . . The Emergency Blood Transport Volunteers deliver supplies of blood to the region’s hospitals. As a volunteer rider, driver, controller or fundraiser for SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers), you would be contributing to a service that not only saves lives, but also saves the NHS thousands of pounds every year.

When a hospital requires blood or platelets, or needs blood samples to be transported urgently during the evenings, weekends and bank holidays, they call on SERV volunteers – or ‘Blood Runners’ as they are commonly known.

SERV provides this service completely free of charge to the NHS.

This avoids the cost of a taxi or courier, or having to take a police car or an ambulance out of service for two or three hours.

SERV is run by a team of dedicated volunteer motorcyclists and drivers who give their time and fuel in order to help others who need emergency supplies of blood.

As soon as a hospital calls SERV, the call is automatically diverted to the duty controller’s mobile phone, who then despatches a duty rider or driver to collect from the blood bank or hospital and take the consignment to the destination hospital.

Danny Bateman, publicity co-ordinator of SERV in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northants, said: “Most of our riders and drivers use their own vehicles. SERV owns some dedicated vehicles which are used by members with advanced driving or riding qualifications.

“All volunteers undergo full training, and are encouraged to gain an advanced qualification. SERV is always in need of fundraisers, without whom it would simply cease to exist. Fundraisers attend or organise events, raise public awareness and recruit new volunteers.

“It’s surprising how many of the general public are unaware of this invaluable service,” he said.

Volunteers are only requested to be on call between two and four times a month.

Riders and drivers need to have held a full licence for a minimum of 12 months and have no more than three penalty points (although six points may be considered by the committee).

See the website serv.org.uk