A hugely important Cumbrian charity has marked 10 years of saving lives with an anniversary gala, raising over £6,000 in the process. 

Blood Bikes Cumbria was launched in 2014 and every day since, it has helped to transport vital lifesaving blood and laboratory samples between hospitals and medical centres in Cumbria. 

The charity saves the NHS over £400,000 each year and the Great North Air Ambulance Service over £80,000 thanks to its daily deliveries. 

Speaking to the News & Star, chairman Jim White highlighted the importance of the charity and its work to ensure that Cumbrians can receive urgent care wherever they live in the region. 

He said: "The importance of Blood Bikes Cumbria to residents in our region can’t be overstated. We level the playing field for those living in remote locations, villages and towns; when someone visits a local clinic we can transport the specimens and samples to specialist laboratories in Carlisle, Whitehaven and Newcastle within two hours. This is important as it ensures Cumbrians receive the same level of healthcare wherever they live."

Jim also thanked the support of local businesses, after over £6,000 was raised at their gala at the Halston in Carlisle late last month. 

He said: "Our Gala Dinner raised an amazing £6,296.41 on the night for our vital lifesaving charity. We are incredibly grateful to those local companies that sponsored our Gala Dinner and to those who attended and gave generous donations on the night. We are a self-funded charity run by volunteers and receive no external funding, so the money raised will help us keep our motorcycles and cars on the road and will allow us to continue to do what we do."

The charity currently needs £76,000 a year to keep running, as well as the continued efforts of their wonderful volunteers. 

But the charity needs as many volunteers as it can get, and is actively recruiting more drivers to help continue providing their lifesaving work in the region.

Jim concluded: "We have around 70 active riders and drivers that cover four duties every day, so if there are readers who can spare a couple of evenings a month to join us, we would be very happy to hear from them. The more the merrier.  We are a friendly group and the camaraderie is incredible.  We all love doing what we do and, we are all motivated with the knowledge that we’re making a real difference to those in our community."