After the pandemic caused another challenging year in 2021 for all charities by putting a stop to so many events, our Wincanton team is thrilled to announce its best ever total raised for the Yeovil Freewheelers, a local blood bike charity the branch has supported for a number of years.

The total collected in branch was just over £6,100. Wincanton Branch Manager Alex Provis said: “We are so delighted that this impressive amount was raised for the Freewheelers though our efforts and with lots of local support. It will certainly make a big difference to the charity as it continues its work, which helps so many in the county of Somerset and beyond.

“The team has agreed to continue supporting them during 2022. They have become very dear to our hearts.”

The oldest surviving blood bike group in the country, last year Yeovil Freewheelers made over 1000 out-of-hours deliveries, carrying blood, platelets, blood and tissue samples, medication, breast milk, medical documents, CT scans and medical equipment to hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes as well as private addresses, which are often in isolated areas, across most of Somerset and Dorset. The charity saved the NHS well over £100,000 while easing patients’ suffering and helping to save lives.