Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers (SERV) Sussex

SERV delivers urgent blood, samples, notes and human infant milk between hospitals at night for free

SERV is a registered charity that delivers blood, blood products, time-critical samples and human infant milk for premature babies between hospitals in Sussex free of charge. SERV volunteers are on call from 7pm till 6am, 365 nights a year and 24 hours a day over the weekend and all bank holidays. The riders and drivers, who generally use their own machines and pay for their own petrol, support the NHS, often delivering urgent blood products from the National Blood Transfusion Units to hospitals in the South East of England. Donor human milk is collected from local donors, transported to Harpenden where it is treated and then transported back to mothers with premature babies in the Sussex region.

Why the community needs us
On a local level, we measure our progress by the number of times hospitals call us out at night to deliver emergency blood, blood products and samples. The whole population of Sussex benefits from our service, and has the ability to influence the nature of our service. In the financial year 03/2019 to 03/2020, SERV Sussex responded to 1350 individual requests for assistance using volunteers from all walks of life, regardless of race, gender, ethnic group, disability or sexual preference.

Our impact on the community
SERV Sussex responded to 1350 calls in 2019, allowing re-deployment of much-needed funds for improved patient care and other essential facilities within the NHS. Each year, we have seen the demands on SERV increase and there is a need to spread the service across the county in response to a higher volume of requests from hospital trusts. We have NO paid staff and are totally funded by public donation; we therefore spend a lot of time with public outreach projects and fund raising in the local community.

Volunteers needed

We are always seeking volunteers and advertise widely in the local communities around Sussex for anyone willing to help; this includes publicity, answering the phone and fund-raising. We are totally funded by public donation so spend a lot of time with public outreach projects. To further support local hospitals, we raise funds at local social events through bucket collections at local shopping centres. If you are able to offer corporate sponsorship, please contact the website.

What your gift could provide

£20

tank of fuel for motorcycle

£60

one hi-viz jacket for rider

£150

petrol for marked bike for one month

Fundraise for us!

Charity Information

Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers (SERV) Sussex

Established in: 1981