Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes

What Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes does

Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes (SSCBB) is a UK registered charity (Number 1156212), founded in 2014 and operated entirely by volunteers, that provides a free 24/7/365 urgent transport service for blood products, medical samples, donor breast milk, and faecal microbiota transplants (FMT) to NHS hospitals across Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire. The charity's operating fleet comprises 18 liveried motorcycles (BMW R1250RS, R1300RS, R1250RT, R1300RT, and Moto Guzzi V85TT models) and, since 2025, four Dacia Jogger blood cars named Kestrel, Merlin, Osprey, and Falcon that maintain service continuity during severe weather and longer-distance FMT runs. Equipment includes temperature-controlled insulated boxes secured to bike panniers, and dispatch is coordinated through a telephone-divert system with live journey recording, supported by a 24/7 controller rota.

SSCBB serves 15+ NHS hospital sites — including Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Burton Hospital Trust, Royal Stoke University Hospital, PHE Public Health Laboratory Birmingham, NHSBT Birmingham, and the North West Human Milk Bank Chester — and operates as a member of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB) for inter-regional coordination. The charity explicitly receives no government or NHS funding; its revenue model is entirely donation-based, sourced from individual giving (JustGiving, Easyfundraising, BACS, cheque), community fundraising events, speaker engagements (~80 presentations per year), and corporate sponsorship of named bikes at approximately £12,000 per vehicle. Named sponsors include Russell Roof Tiles, Chester Golf Club, Oddballs Motorcycle Club, Staffordshire Freemasons, and the National Federation of Women's Institutes, the last of which has contributed over £26,000 since launch. In 2024, the fleet logged 377,964 miles across the 6,543 sq.km service area and handled 284 FMT logistics requests. SSCBB received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in June 2018 and is governed by a volunteer committee chaired by Colin Cummins-White.

Name

Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes

Legal name

Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes

Website

https://ssbbgroup.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes is a UK registered charity providing a free, volunteer-operated 24/7 urgent medical transport service to NHS hospitals across three counties, using a fleet of 18 motorcycles and four blood cars to move blood products, samples, breast milk, and FMT materials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Courier Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (621910), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Pharma & Life Sciences Cold Chain Transport (GDP) (TLADAHAI)

Keywords

• Volunteer medical transport
• Blood bike logistics
• Medical courier services
• NHS specimen delivery
• Healthcare logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Cannock

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual donations and fundraising: The charity relies entirely on donations from individuals, fundraising events, and community support. Donations can be made via JustGiving, BACS transfer, cheque, or Easyfundraising (shopping portal).
2. Corporate sponsorship and named bike funding: Organizations, companies, and community groups fund specific bikes (e.g., BMW R1300RT at £12,000) or make ongoing donations. Examples include Chester Golf Club, Russell Roof Tiles, Ma Baker's Cafe, and various Masonic lodges.
3. No government or NHS funding: The charity explicitly states it receives no funding from the government or NHS and must raise all funds itself through donations and fundraising activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SSCBB is a registered charity (Number: 1156212) that provides a free, volunteer-run urgent medical transport service, moving blood products, breast milk, fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) samples, urgent medical specimens, and small surgical equipment between NHS hospitals across Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire. Operations run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, using a fleet of 18 liveried motorcycles plus 4 Dacia Jogger blood cars for adverse weather, with calls dispatched through a dedicated telephone system and coordinated with the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes network.

Product overview

Shropshire Staffordshire & Cheshire Blood Bikes (SSCBB) is a registered charity providing a free, volunteer-operated urgent medical transport service across three counties. The core service offering consists of blood product transportation using a fleet of 18 named motorcycles (BMW models including R1250RS, R1300RS, R1250RT, R1300RT, and Moto Guzzi V85TT) supplemented by 4 Dacia Jogger blood cars (Falcon, Kestrel, Merlin, Osprey) for adverse weather conditions. Additional services include breast milk transport for premature babies, fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) logistics for Birmingham Medical School with UK-wide delivery coordination, and general medical sample transport. The charity operates 24/7 through volunteer riders, controllers, and fundraisers, with a speaker team providing community presentations. The service connects to 16+ NHS hospitals and works with the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB) network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blood Transport Service Free 24/7 volunteer service providing urgent transportation of blood products between NHS hospitals across Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire using a fleet of 18 liveried blood bikes.
• Breast Milk Transport Service Free volunteer service transporting screened donor breast milk to NHS hospitals for premature babies, using temperature-controlled insulated boxes to maintain cold chain integrity.
• Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) Transport Free volunteer service transporting fecal microbiota transplants for treating C. difficile infection and ulcerative colitis, with UK-wide coordination through the NABB blood bike network and Civil Air Support.
• Medical Sample Transport Free volunteer service transporting urgent medical samples, patient notes, electronic scan information, and small surgical equipment between NHS hospitals and the NHS Blood and Transplant centre in Birmingham.
• Blood Car Service (Adverse Weather Transport) Free volunteer service using 4 Dacia Jogger cars for FMT deliveries and severe-weather continuity when motorcycle riding is unsafe, ensuring 365-day uninterrupted urgent transport availability.

Quantifiable outcome

• NHS hospitals save £200-300 per trip compared to taxi services
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSCBB is a member of NABB, a registered charity representing established blood bike groups across the UK and Ireland. NABB provides an umbrella organization promoting and supporting blood bike groups, defining minimum professional operating standards, and enabling coast-to-coast service through cooperation between regional groups.
• Midland Freewheelers Blood BikescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional blood bike group operating in nearby area, collaborating on urgent medical transport requests and sharing best practices.
• Civil Air SupportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity used alongside other blood bike groups to manage vital FMT (Faecal Microbiota Transplant) logistics from Birmingham Medical School to hospitals throughout the UK, enabling time-sensitive deliveries.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blood Bikes Wales: Welsh volunteer blood bike group providing free urgent medical courier services to NHS Wales. Operates with similar volunteer rider/controller structure, NABB-affiliated standards, and donation-based funding.
• SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers): Long-established volunteer blood bike charity operating in southern England, providing free urgent medical sample and blood product transport to NHS hospitals. Directly comparable in volunteer-driven, donation-funded model and NABB affiliation.
• Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikes: Named strategic partner and neighbouring volunteer blood bike charity providing free out-of-hours medical courier services to NHS hospitals in the West Midlands. Directly comparable in mission, volunteer model, fleet composition, and NABB membership.
• North West Blood Bikes (NWBB): Manchester-based volunteer blood bike charity providing urgent out-of-hours medical transport to NHS hospitals across the North West. Comparable in scale, volunteer structure, and service scope (blood, samples, breast milk).
• Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes: Regional volunteer blood bike charity serving Yorkshire NHS hospitals with urgent medical courier services. Closely comparable in operating model, fleet size, and reliance on community fundraising and corporate sponsorship.
• Freewheelers EVS: One of the UK's longest-established volunteer blood bike charities, serving NHS hospitals in the South West. Directly comparable in mission, fleet operations, and community-driven funding model.

Broad incumbents

• St John Ambulance: National volunteer-led charitable organisation providing patient transport, event medical cover, and community first aid across the UK. Operates in adjacent non-emergency medical transport and emergency response space with similar volunteer ethos but significantly larger scale.
• DHL Medical Express / Medical Courier Services: Large commercial medical logistics and courier providers (e.g., DHL, CitySprint Health) offering paid urgent medical specimen and pharmaceutical transport to NHS trusts. Represents the commercial alternative SSCBB's free service displaces.

Others

• Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB): Umbrella charity representing UK blood bike groups and setting professional operating standards. Comparable as the coordinating body within which SSCBB operates; not a direct competitor but a strategic ecosystem enabler.

Regional players

• Civil Air Support: UK charity providing volunteer air transport for medical emergencies and time-critical FMT logistics. Named operational partner of SSCBB; comparable in volunteer-driven, donation-funded model but distinct in air-based delivery mode.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Staffsbloodbike
• Facebookfacebook.com/StaffordshireBloodBikes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shropshire-staffordshire-cheshire-blood-bikes

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shropshire Staffordshire Cheshire Blood Bikes