1962 saw the introduction of Blood bikes to Surrey and South London. In 1981 the Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers was formed in Surrey to provide a reliable method of transporting crucial life saving blood and blood products to the hospitals and many medical units at night. SERV was able to provide an additional mode of transport for hospitals and medical establishments. It also transports emergency medical equipment, drugs and donor organs on occasions.
The teams work alongside and provide an additional service to the emergency transport already in place such as ambulances, police and couriers. Its service is provided at no cost and consequently it allows hospitals to use essential funds for improved patient care and other facilities within the hospital.
All the riders are volunteers and their roles range from supplying and carrying essential blood supplies for hospital patients, to collecting and transporting vital milk for new born babies. During COVID – 19, riders have volunteered throughout the day and night in order to keep up with demand. Riders use their own skills to ride at the advanced level needed to operate the bikes and they spend their own time supporting each other.
Our team at ‘The Caterham and District Independent’ were extremely excited to exclusively discover that ‘The Caterham Rotary Club had sponsored their very own ‘SERV Blood Bike’ and along with President Geraint Jenkins and Rotarians Colin Vane and Mark Scoggins, we recently, in a socially distanced way, went to see the newly sponsored piece of equipment. Colin is also a volunteer with SERV.
The sponsored bike provides a crucial role in supporting the community and of course the NHS.
Geraint Jenkins told us “we are delighted to have been able to support this worthy voluntary organisation who carry out such an incredibly important safe, quick and reliable service free of charge,”
