A West Norfolk company has stepped in to sponsor a volunteer group which transports blood around the county for the NHS.

The Blood Bikers carry urgently needed products to hospitals outside of normal working hours for nothing and they rely on donations and sponsorship to keep going.

C&M Servicing, of Downham Market, has become the latest company to sponsor SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers) and the work it does in helping to save lives. The West Norfolk group went live at the end of last month and an East Norfolk branch is due to do the same this month.

'Many people are surprised to learn that while the service we offer helps save lives and can save the NHS many times our operating costs, we receive no government funding,' said county secretary David Parish.

'We all give our time for free, but we still need to raise around �20,000 a year in order to purchase and operate the equipment we need,' he added.

The service was started 30 years ago in Surrey to offer their hospitals a free alternative to the expensive courier system or taxis. Over the years the service has spread around the country and West Norfolk is the latest to start using what have become known as blood bikes.

'We rely totally on public donations and sponsorship from companies such as C&M Servicing to fund this important work. That's why we are very grateful to Margaret, Chris and the rest of the team for their help,' said Mr Parish.

The Downham company, based on the Trafalgar Industrial Estate, was founded by directors Chris and Margaret Key in 1998 and offers a range of services for heating and electrical systems.

Mrs Key said the blood bikes were 'such a worthwile cause' to support and added that one of the riders, Ian Grimes, was a customer of C&M.

For more information about Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers visit www.serv.org.uk

donna.semmens@archant co.uk