A NATIONAL biker group have raised £16,500 for a Poole-based charity by taking part in a gruelling 8,000-mile relay around the country.

The Relay Riders, a group made up of bikers from all over the country, were raising funds for DocBike, a charity set up by Ian Mews, the UK’s first motorcycle emergency response trauma doctor.

Ian said: “Bikers account for 25 per cent of people killed or critically injured on the road but only one per cent of road users.

“We do all we can to stay safe but it makes a lot more sense to give bikers the skills to become more confident and knowledgeable drivers so they can not only enjoy the roads more but ensure they and others stay safe as well.”

Robyn Butcher, a member of Relay Riders, said: “We try and pick smaller charities because, although bigger charities do great things as well, the money that we can give makes a huge difference to a small charity.

“In the past year it has grown massively.”

Ian, who works as an intensive care and air ambulance doctor as his day job, is linked with other motorcyclists via radio who are able to contact him when there is an accident on the road. With a BMW RTP motorbike kitted out with a compact critical care monitor, defibrillator and other medical equipment, he is able to get to the scene quickly, secure it from other road users and provide vital medical assistance before the emergency services arrive.

At the recent Poole bike night, Ian was surprised by a big supporter of the charity, Harry Atkinson, who was one of the biggest contributors towards relay tour, clocking up 4,600 himself over 11 days.

In support of the Doc Bike charity, the 18-year-old unveiled his newly spray-painted bike complete with the charity’s logo.

“I think that it is a great cause,” said Harry. “If someone comes up to me at a bike shop and asks me what that is, and we start talking about it, it can only help in spreading the word .

“I just think it’s a great idea and I want to show my support and help raise awareness for it.”

Harry has given hundreds of pounds of his own money to the charity and, as a thank you, DocBikes has helped to fund him with his motorcycle qualifications.

Ian said: “Harry is a phenomenal advocate for the charity.

“He is a good individual to have on board because he is young, he rides his bike with other people, and he spreads the word about the charity.”