AN unpaid band of bikers is on course to save the NHS across Lancashire and South Cumbria the best part of £1million before 2019 is over.

Not a single penny will be paid out to the motorcyclists who volunteer, come rain or shine, for the North West Blood Bikes.

But for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) alone, to date this year, they have saved more than £130,000 through their crucial deliveries of everything from blood and samples to medical notes.

Just last month, the eastern area team completed 171 calls and notched up nearly 2,700 miles on their missions of mercy.

This is all achieved without any formal funding - every pound which fuels the charity is raised by the likes of the Freemasons, Rotary or the countless generous souls who pop loose change into one of their collecting tins.

Like their East Lancs area manager Neil Demaline, a number will give up festive feasting to cover shifts for the blood bikes over the Christmas and New Year, to ensure their 365-days-a-year service is not compromised.

Neil says it is not unknown for some of the 60-odd riders, who cover the Blackburn, Burnley and Accrington patch, to “sulk” when they don’t get to ride out.

He said: “We’ve got all sorts volunteering for us, from retired police officers and firefighters to binmen, shop workers and photographers.

“There are even two lads who work on the rigs, in Scotland, who come back every so often and volunteer for all the shifts they can.”

The blood bikes have been running across East Lancashire since 2014 - the wider Lancs and Lakes operation dates back to 2012 - and Neil believes they have built up close ties with the pathology and histology departments at ELHT.

Riders don't always know what their hospital friends might be handing over however, on one recent job, Neil recalls how a sharps bin was given to him.

Inside was a newly-delivered placenta - this was urgently needed at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to create antibodies in an emergency, so off it went.

Vital funds have been forthcoming from the likes of East Lancashire Freemasons and Rotary, as well as community funding from the insurance giant Aviva, to help pay for and maintain two state-of-the-art BMW motorbikes, stationed at Hyndburn fire station.

Each of the machines is fully equipped with blue lights and sirens, with panniers for their precious cargo and riders have the latest in bluetooth and satellite navigation to negotiate their way around the county.

Neil, who lives in Earby and works for the Fireplace Warehouse in Burnley, says the blood bikes team is indebted to the firefighters at Hyndburn, who have offered them a home and are always eager to share their social facilities and offer regular brews.

“The lads and lasses here have been absolutely fantastic with us. Half of them are bikers anyway and they’re always interested in what we’re up to,” he added.

While the riders are all bonded by their love of bikes, Neil’s association with the service was inspired by something a little closer to home.

He said: “I had a really bad accident in Morocco in 2000. which destroyed my left knee. I had to be airlifted back home and had a number of operations.

“I’ve had it completely rebuilt, with titanium pins in there now. So I just wanted to give something back - then I heard about the blood bikes.”

Neil reserves special praise though for the emergency operators, who also volunteer for the service, and can be responsible for up to 10 bikes, criss-crossing the north west, on any single shift.

“I’ve seen what they have to go through and I just don’t know how they do it,” he added.

“It’s a massive undertaking and you have to have the right sort of mind to organise things - you could have bikes picking up blood from Speke at one end, to Lancaster at the other and it’s all about co-ordinating what needs to be where.

“They could have 40-plus call-outs in a shift so that’s a lot of information to process and people to keep track of.”

Organisers are aware they have an important duty of care and conduct regular assessments to ensure volunteers’ wits and skills remain keen.

To find out more about the service in East Lancs, or suggest a fundraising opportunity, contact Neil on 0783 251 8845 or neil.demaline@nwbb-lancs.org