A group of four-year-old friends are taking to two wheels to raise funds for Blood Bikes NICU Support, as a thank you for the incredible service they provided to the Davies family, from Writhlington, when their twin daughters were born prematurely. The ride is taking place on Sunday, 5th October, on the Welton to Radstock cycletrack.

The fundraising team, Gethin Davies, from Writhlington, Dominic Evans, Matthew Brooks and Will Clark, from Midsomer Norton, Harri Ford, Harry Mullan, Lucas Hawkins and Rosie Mullan, from Chilcompton, Owen Parsons, from Radstock, Ethan Briggs, from Paulton, and Zac Cardy, from Holcombe, all aged four, will be riding distances between one and four miles. Six of the children will be riding the full distance on non-stabiliser bikes.

The bike ride will be led by Gethin Davies, whose twin sisters, Erinn and Efa, were born prematurely at 31 weeks and two days, on 18th July at the Royal United Hospital, in Bath. Having undergone a Caesarean delivery and surgery and thus unable to drive, their mother, Debbie, used the Blood Bikes NICU Support transport service to visit the twins during their seven-week stay in the RUH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and found it invaluable.

She said: "The volunteers at Blood Bikes NICU Support provided such an amazing service during the time the girls were in hospital. It eliminated a lot of the stress for myself and my husband, Gareth, knowing that I could get in to the RUH to take care of my babies whenever I needed to."

Blood Bikes is a volunteer-run charity that transports blood and organs to hospitals at any hour of the day for emergency operations and transfusions. The NICU service they provide is the delivery of donated breast milk to premature babies, as well as a transportation service, so that parents can spend time with their hospitalised children.

Sian Ford came up with the idea for the sponsored bike ride after speaking to the Davies family about their experience. As Sian explains: "Debbie is one of my closest friends and part of a strong group of friends who all met when our now four-year-olds were just babies. She is so full of praise for Blood Bikes NICU Support that we were determined to find a way to thank them. Our children are all close friends too and love riding their bikes, so the ride gives them the chance to have fun and raise funds for a great cause at the same time."

The Blood Bikes charity relies entirely on volunteers and fundraising to keep the organisation going. The cycling team have been gathering sponsorship and donations for their ride and have each set individual targets, as well as a group one. Any donations are appreciated and can be pledged to the group as a whole by heading to: http://www.justgiving.com/nicukidsride/">www.justgiving.com/nicukidsride/

For more information about Blood Bikes and the services they provide, as well as volunteering opportunities, please visit: http://www.bloodbikes.co.uk">www.bloodbikes.co.uk