A group of volunteer riders and drivers who support the NHS with vital deliveries donated presents to children at Hinchingbrooke Hospital on December 9.

Members of the Suffolk & Cambridgeshire SERV group deliver emergency blood and other products to hospitals across the two counties all year round.

Hinchingbrooke Hospital is just one of the hospitals in the patch and nine “blood runners” stopped off to spread some festive cheer.

“Over the last few months we have been collecting presents,” said Paul Firman from the charity.

“Some were donated by ourselves and others from organisations and individuals in our local communities. The runners taking part came from Cambridge, Peterborough and Ipswich. We spoke with some parents and their children in the hospital, which made it all worth doing. Staff were very appreciative of what we had done. In our minds it is a small gift that hopefully will make a child’s time in hospital more bearable.”

SERVSC was launched in May 2011 with Ipswich Hospital closely followed by West Suffolk Hospital the first to sign up, closely followed by Peterborough City Hospital, Papworth and Hinchingbrooke hospitals in 2012.