General Meeting: March 2026

Jon Fryer and Roger Wakefield gave a very entertaining and informative talk about their work with Blood Bikes a voluntary service which began in 1962 and in Nottingham in 2013 in which there are 161 volunteers, 10 bikes, 9 cars and some mini bikes.

Jon is a biker and a driver, Roger is a driver only. There is no government funding and all volunteers completely unpaid. They offer an out of hours service for the NHS between the hours of 18:00 and 06:00 and 24 hours at weekends and bank holidays.

As the name of the service suggests whole blood and blood products are transported regularly as well as tissue samples, equipment, material for sanitisation, heel prick samples from the newborn and much more, saving the NHS money and time.

They do not break the speed limits and receive expert training. The minimum commitment is 15 hours over 6 weeks and some volunteers work as fundraisers.

Both Roger and Jon emphasized their sense of purpose, their connection with their community and with their ability to make a difference. Clearly they both enjoyed their job and there was plenty of camaraderie too.

The talk was very well received and many questions asked. There was an opportunity to donate too.

Marianne White