A St. John Ambulance Cycle Responder

A new team of first aiders on bicycles is being trained across Surrey in order to swiftly get to those in need at large events.

The St John Ambulance Cycle Responders will be on duty at events such as festivals that cover a large area with dense crowds that make it difficult for vehicles to get to a casualty.

Each Cycle Responder rides a mountain bike kitted out with enough equipment to make it effectively a mini ambulance on two wheels.

It’s hoped seven new Cycle Responders will be trained up this month (March 16/17), to join the existing team of ten.

South East Regional Operational Cycling Officer Peter Leach said: ‘We already have a small team of Cycle Responders but there aren’t enough of them to cover the events for which we receive requests.

‘We train them up to the Bikeability Level 3 and also carry out some fitness training including a 1km sprint bike ride followed by a full Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) which is the energetic chest compression needed if someone’s heart stops.

‘Each bike carries a huge variety of equipment from bandages and aspirin to oxygen and an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) which is also used to restart people’s hearts.’

Some of the events across the South East at which St John Ambulance Cycle Responders have already been present include the Milton Keynes Marathon, the She Runs Windsor 10k race, the Blenheim International Horse Trials, Hampshire Youth Games, the London to Brighton British Heart Foundation cycle ride and West Bletchley Council Carnival. The next major event will be the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 6 April 2014.

‘We are always looking for new volunteers who want to be trained in this role,’ added Peter Leach. ‘People who have a reasonable level of fitness and are already comfortable on a bike, and who would like to learn how to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.’

Anyone interested in training to be a Cycle Responder should contact Peter Leach on 07747 766554 email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..