New blood bike launched thanks to Shrewsbury family's donation
A new blood bike has hit the road thanks to a donation from a family who were helped out by the volunteer service in the past.
Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire Blood Bikes (SSCBB) launched the new BMW 1250RS on Saturday thanks to a donation of £15,000.
The bike has been funded by a family from Shrewsbury whose mother heard about the blood bike charity at a talk which was presented by a member of the SSCBB speaker team.
It will carry the name Rhydian Jordan 7, named after Rhydian, now aged 24, who has had serious health issues since birth and suffered hemorrhaging due to a lack of vitamin K when he was three.
The SSCBB were on hand on several occasions to help out by delivering blood for him to the Shrewsbury hospital.
His mother, Stella Taylor said: "It was only when I heard the talk by the blood biker that I realised that they were all volunteers and received no funding from the NHS.
"This prompted me to fund a new blood bike for them and to have it named after my son."
Rhydian Jordan 7 will be based in Shropshire for the foreseeable future and is well located to serve the needs of the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
It will join the 16-bike fleet which cover Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.
The SSCBB is an urgent volunteer service which provides the transportation of blood products, free of charge, to all NHS hospitals across Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire.
Blood bikes reduce the costs of hospitals, who would otherwise have to pay taxi services up to £300 per trip to do the same job.
The service is 100 per cent voluntary and relies on the support of the local community
Fundraising manager Lynne Stone said: "We are indebted to Stella and her family for their generosity."
