British Superbike champion Shane Byrne opens the new headquarters for a lifesaving blood team.

Rapid response volunteers, known as blood bikers will be moving into the base at the M2 Farthing Corner Services in Gillingham.

Using a fleet of 11 motorcycles, two 4x4s and a van, plus volunteers’ personal vehicles, the service transports medical supplies, including blood, vaccines and breast milk from the Kent coast to as fas as west London. Members also ferry medical notes and X-rays across the county.

It is provided to the NHS free of charge and last year received almost 3,000 call-outs.

The bikers recently teamed up with Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance for the Blood on Board initiative, enabling medics on board the helicopters to transfuse blood at the scene of major incidents.

The secure compound is a former police traffic post, from where the charity will now operate, includes garages, offices and a training suite which will now act as a central hub for the charity.

It will be opened by Shane at 2pm today . The motorbike champion has vowed to be there, despite surgery in Spain last week after breaking his hand in a pre-season crash.