NEIL Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, has visited the headquarters of emergency response couriers Devon Freewheelers to learn more about the charity and the service it provides.

Neil Parish was surprised to learn the charity receives no funding from the Government, despite the fact the out-of-hours courier service undertakes an average of 16 emergency call-outs every day.

Devon Freewheelers is a charity delivering urgent medical samples, drugs and surgical equipment in Devon for the NHS at no charge.

During the visit, Mr Parish met a number of the riders and said he was impressed with their dedication to maintaining the crucial delivery of blood, tissue for transplant and breast milk to hospitals across Devon.

He said: “I am hugely supportive of the great work being done by the Devon Freewheelers. They are unsung heroes and more people should be aware of the organisation and what it achieves. If it didn’t exist, the cost to the NHS would be immense.”

It costs in the region of £100,000 to keep the bikes on the road each year, and the service is currently kept operational purely by the dedicated work of fund-raisers and corporate sponsors from all areas of Devon.

Devon Freewheelers CEO, Daniel Lavery, said: “We are delighted Mr Parish has expressed interest in helping us. There’s no doubt that our couriers save lives every single day and it would make such a difference if permanent funding could be secured.”