VOLUNTEERS at a blood charity delivered Christmas presents to children in hospitals.

The Teesside charity Bloodrun normally visit Pathology Departments at James Cook & North Tees hospitals. The charity operate 24-hours a day seven days a week on blood bikes or in blood cars, delivering and collecting everything from blood transfusions to urgent test samples free of charge to the NHS.

This helps save the hospitals a substantial amount of money which is diverted to front line services.

However, last weekend they delivered some very important different parcels.

Using their four fully liveried blood bikes, along with the help of Santa in the blood van they delivered - socially distanced - Christmas presents to the children’s wards, some of the children who were able to, came outside to receive presents from Santa personally.

Jo Smurthwaite one of the volunteers had raised funds over the year for gifts for the children plus many of the presents were donated by the local community and businesses in the last few weeks.

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Ken Bayne from Bloodrun said: “ It was fantastic to see the smiles on the faces the children who came outside to meet Santa, as well as our four volunteer riders. A team of support volunteers were also there to hand over the many large sacks of presents, we never normally get to see the faces of the people we deliver to, so today was extra special us all."

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