When Huthwaite resident John Devlin joined the Nottinghamshire Blood Bikes charity as fundraising officer, he asked his favourite restaurant to host a charity curry night.

Two years later Huthwaite Tandoori, on Market Street, has handed over the proceeds of its third event, £1,861.

The restaurant, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in July, has raised a total of £3,261 for the voluntary transport service, which provides free, out-of-hours emergency deliveries to the NHS in the county.

The most recent event saw 74 guests attend an all-you-can-eat buffet. The charity was boosted by a share of the ticket sales, a raffle and an auction. Restaurant owner Saaj Hoque added his own contribution to the total.

John, also a volunteer rider for the charity, said: “Funding is always a priority for charities and we are no different.

“It costs thousands to get us up and running but, in turn, we can save local hospitals five times that value in future transport costs.

“We know that our service can save lives and blood stocks is the most obvious element.

“But to buy the motorcycles, and run and maintain them, we need a constant stream of donations and sponsorship, so we are grateful to Saaj and his team for hosting us — and for their own donations too.”

Mr Hoque said “We are proud to help. We have supported several charities in the past and it’s important to give a little back to the community.”

Nottinghamshire Blood Bikes operate during evenings and weekends when hospitals’ in-house services stop. The free service replaces the expense of taxis and couriers.

To join the Blood Bikes team as a rider, volunteer or call-handler, go to www.nottinghamshirebloodbikes.org or email [email protected]

Saaj Hoque, right, and staff members hand over a cheque to volunteer riders Alex Davidson, left, and Blood Bikes branch chairman David Mottram, second right.