Hampshire bikers set to travel the length of the country for blood courier charity Serv Wessex

An emergency services worker and paramedic student are looking to travel the length of the country to raise £30,000 for a new blood bike.
Rich Warren, 34, is hoping to travel the length of the country from Lands End to John O'Groats to raise £30,000 for the Serv Wessex Blood Runners.Rich Warren, 34, is hoping to travel the length of the country from Lands End to John O'Groats to raise £30,000 for the Serv Wessex Blood Runners.
Rich Warren, 34, is hoping to travel the length of the country from Lands End to John O'Groats to raise £30,000 for the Serv Wessex Blood Runners.

The motorcycling pair are hoping to travel from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise the money for the region’s blood courier charity Serv Wessex Blood Runners.

Portchester based Rich Warren, 34, said: ‘It has been really difficult for the charity to raise money during the pandemic and this situation has been compounded by increased demand to help transport supplies and medical equipment to care homes and the vulnerable in our community.

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‘They are totally reliant on donations and volunteers to provide this vital service. They are unsung heroes and it’s a charity which often goes under the radar and so I wanted to do something to help.’

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Rich will be joined by friend Stephen Lamont, 34, who works for the ambulance service and is currently training to be a paramedic. The pair plan to take a week to complete the journey and will camp en route.

Rich said: ‘We hope to spend around £20,000 for a BMW 1250 RT bike which can be used by the volunteers. The remaining £10,000 can then be used towards the running costs. The volunteers currently pay for their own fuel to run this service.’

The pair have set up a JustGiving page and will also look to collect donations on route while also raising the profile of the charity.

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The blood bikers use their own bikes to deliver blood and plasma to hospitals across Hampshire, South Wiltshire and Dorset. The 24-hour seven-day service also ensures the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is fully stocked with blood supplies and more recently has been delivering medication to people shielding from Covid.

Rich added: ‘There are 32 blood bike charities and once we have finished this challenge we would like to eventually raise money to buy a new blood bike for all of them.’

Rich and Stephen would like to complete the challenge as soon as possible but due to Covid restrictions they expect it to be the summer before they can embark on the journey.

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