SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, also known as the Bloodrunners, provide an essential service to our local NHS Hospitals, Human Donated Milk Banks, Air Ambulance Services, Hospices, pharmacies and vulnerable patients by transporting urgently needed blood, blood products, patient samples, donated human breast milk, prescription medicines and medical equipment.
Since this voluntary organisation started in 2011 providing a vitally important service free of charge, its volunteers have carried over 11,000 tasks which is estimated to have saved the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds. This allows the NHS to divert funds to where they are needed most.
During 2020, the covid-19 crisis caused their workload to rise significantly so they increased their availability to 24 hours a day, every day. There are now approximately 130 volunteer motorcyclists and car drivers giving their time and mostly using their own vehicles free of charge to deliver items within hours of a request being received. During 2020 they travelled over 130000 miles delivering over 8500 items. On average they respond to between 2 and 7 calls per day although this can be as many as 18 in one day.
They receive no government funding with their costs being met entirely by donations from members of the public, local businesses, charitable grants and of course, their amazing volunteers. There are no paid staff.
In November 2019 SERV Suffolk and Cambridgeshire were officially presented the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service by the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM. The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a voluntary organisation can achieve in the UK and it aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities.