ABERYSTWYTH blood bikes have started a new service in support of Hywel Dda Blood sciences.

On Tuesday, 1 August, Aberystwyth Blood Bikers made their inaugural run on a new daily scheduled service following many years of ad hoc support for the health board.

Every Monday to Friday riders collect pathology, biochemistry, and blood bank samples from Bronglais Hospital and transfer them to other Hywel Dda UHB Blood Science Laboratories, primarily at Glangwili Hospital, but also Prince Philip, Withybush, and, on occasions, the Welsh Blood Service at Pontyclun.

Blood Bikes Wales, Hywel Dda North (Aberystwyth) Area Representative, Mathew Leeman, said: “We are very pleased to provide this new service, which will run in addition to our current long-established shifts, further enhancing the support Blood Bikes Wales volunteers provide to the NHS in Wales.”

“We have been supporting the NHS for many years and have an excellent working relationship with NHS colleagues. Although we have been supporting Blood Sciences at Bronglais Hospital for a long time, the implementation of this new, regular service is a significant enhancement of that support which will directly benefit the people of Ceredigion.”

Lee Peters, Head of Blood Sciences for Hywel Dda UHB, who was present at the inaugural collection commented: “The new service that Blood Bikes Wales has implemented for us is simply amazing. It will make a massive, and very positive, difference to how quickly we receive test results, which in turn will enable us to begin patient treatment that much sooner, which is obviously beneficial.”

Blood Bikes Wales is comprised entirely of volunteers and receives no funding. The charity is entirely dependent on public and business donations for its continued operation.