Freewheelers – Riding for Life
Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service provides an out-of-hours emergency motorcycle courier service to hospitals in the South West of England
Riding For Life: Founded in 1991, Freewheelers EVS is a registered charity with a coverage area that includes Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, Bath and West Wiltshire. Freewheelers is one of a number of groups that cover different parts of the country.
Their lifesaving service to the NHS is provided free of charge and is funded entirely by public donation and sponsorship. Their motorcycles are often referred to as blood bikes but they do much more, transporting test samples, patient notes, X-rays, drugs and other medical supplies. In 2006 they made more than 1800 deliveries – a 50% increase on 2005.
Freewheelers EVS operates a fleet of specially adapted Honda Pan European motorcycles equipped with high visibility markings plus blue lights and sirens for emergency use. These enable them to save lives by delivering urgently required items. If their service did not exist hospitals would be forced to use a costly and potentially slow taxi or commercial courier service.
To find out more and see how you might help visit
www.freewheelers.org.uk
