Blood Bikers UK tour unites biking world

Two volunteer Blood Bikers have ridden all round the nation in a biking marathon to raise money for charity
and attempt to set a new Guinness World Record.

Thomas Carroll, 52, and Mark Robinson, 58, both from Aberdeenshire are members of the Highlands and Islands Blood Bikers (HAIBB).

They set out to ride from the north of Scotland to meet representatives from other Blood Biker charity groups across the UK and to commemorate the work of the NHS over the pandemic.

“To say it was an exceptional experience is an understatement,” Thomas told MCN afterwards.

“We met some truly amazing people along the way, were welcomed at every stage and even got escorts into some meeting points!

“We’ve also raised the profile of all Blood Bike groups in the UK. It’s a free service to the NHS by dedicated and determined volunteers who do it because it’s the right thing to do with no expectation of anything in return.”

As part of their ‘Highland Hand of Friendship’, the pair covered 1500 miles in three days, meeting 22
blood groups in places as diverse as Colchester, Bristol and Glasgow.

Both riding Blood Bike-liveried BMW R1250RTs, they hope the event will set a new world record as the UK’s longest Blood Bike Relay. To help with this each visited group had to sign a charter as a record. Guinness are still ratifying the new record, a process Thomas says can take up to 12 weeks.

What’s more, at the time of writing, almost £1200 has been raised for Blood Bike charities
with a final target of £5000.

To donate, go to www.justgiving.com/campaign/Highland-Hand-of-Friendship