Category: Events

The Blood Bikes Cumbria Chairman – Jim White said:
“As we are now in our 10th Anniversary Year, I’m delighted to announce that Blood Bikes Cumbria will be holding a significant Open Day at Carlisle Airport on Sunday 16th June 2024 and we would be especially delighted if you could attend and provide vital coverage of this event. The 10th Anniversary Open Day promises to be a magnificent event, building upon the success of last year’s hugely popular gathering. This is a massively significant day for us, providing vital awareness, fundraising and attracting potential new members. The day itself will run from 10am until 4pm and we confirmed the attendance of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), the Police, Fire and Ambulance Service, motorcycle dealerships, IAM and RoSPA Advanced Motorcycists, together with our partner Blood Bikes groups from Northumbria, Dumfries and Galloway and South Lakes/Lancashire. Entertainment will be provided by local blues band the Delta Gecko’s and food and motorcycle clothing retail outlets will also be there.
We are a charity, run by volunteers who freely give up their time and energy to support our North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). All our members are unpaid and it costs our charity money to keep our vehicles on the road, so every penny we raise is vital to continue our lifesaving service. We save the NHS and GNAAS money each year delivering critical blood supplies and urgent specimens 365 days a year. More importantly, we deliver without fail. We are proud to support our community in their time of need, both Cumbrians and visitors alike. So please support us with vital PR if you can, and we hopefully look forward to seeing you on Sunday 16th June at Carlisle Airport”.

What’s going on at our Open Day?

This is a road safety focussed event and is both free to enter and open to the general public.

The event is being held at Carlisle Airport on Sunday 16th June from 10 am until 4 pm.
With the focus of the day continuing to be about road safety and skills awareness we will be running our slow speed courses in a safe and managed motorcycle environment and IAM RoadSmart and RoSPA will be doing observed ride outs, where riders will receive feedback from qualified National Observers to help improve their riding techniques.

KC Superbikes and Lloyd BMW Motorcycles Motorcycle dealerships will all be in attendance showing off the latest 2024 motorcycles. BMW, Triumph, Suzuki and Indian Motorcycles will have their mobile showroom trailers on site, with test rides available on the day.

A rapid response vehicle from the Great North Air Ambulance Service will be there, with attendance from Cumbria Police and Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service who will also be advocating road safety. There will be catering vans, ice cream, donuts and live music from local blues band The Delta Geckos. Further entertainment will be provided by Workington Comets Speedway riders, Cumbria Motopark Electric Motocross bikes, Birchall Brothers Racing; and Andy’s Man Club will all be in attendance to showcase what they do.

Who are We?
Blood Bikes Cumbria is a locally based charity operating throughout north and west Cumbria, registered in England (No.1159026). We are all volunteers and we wholly rely on fundraising to maintain a continual 365 days a year service to the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and GNAAS. We currently have 154 members: all are unpaid and willingly give up their free time and energy for the benefit of our community and for the benefit of others. We are always looking to recruit more members: all our riders & drivers have advanced rider or driver qualifications and receive expert on-the-job training. It is a rewarding and satisfying role; one that gives so much back to others in their time of need.

What Do We Do?
Blood Bikes Cumbria provides free ‘out of hours’ cover for the NHS. Every day, we transport vital lifesaving blood and laboratory samples between hospitals and medical centres in Cumbria and from the Cumberland Infirmary Carlisle to specialist laboratories in Newcastle, including the Royal Victoria Infirmary, The Freeman Hospital and the northern region National Blood and Transplant Service facility. Our service saves the NHS £400K annually, but more importantly we ensure that urgent blood and samples are delivered as soon as possible. Additionally, we deliver a daily supply of blood to the GNAAS helicopter ‘The Pride of Cumbria’ based at Langwathby and return unused items to Newcastle with the help of a relay provided by Northumbria Blood Bikes. We save GNAAS over £80K annually. The Pride of Cumbria medical team has achieved over 500 lifesaving blood transfusions throughout Cumbria: we are incredibly proud to play
our part in delivering this vital life-saving capability.