With the motorcycling season starting to rev up, Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership and Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue will launch its series of free safety workshops for bikers.

The workshops have been running during the motorcycling season since 2014 and so far more than 100 bikers have been trained in first aid and scene management.

Called ‘Biker Down’ the three hour sessions run monthly until September, for up to 25 people at a time and taking place between 6pm and 9pm at SkillZONE, the county’s safety education centre.

The course is aimed at all levels of motorcyclists from the seasoned biker to the young and inexperienced rider.

One biker who attended the Biker Down course said, “As a direct result of going on this course, I was able to go to the aid of a fellow biker who had been catapulted off of his bike by an old lady. He was in the road with lots of broken bones.

“I was confident to go straight to him and knew from the course what to do. When the paramedic arrived he needed to remove the helmet, but hadn’t been trained on how to do this, so I was able to show him how to do it. I was on the floor with him for over two and a half hours; the course gave me the ability and knowledge to do this comfortably”.

Cllr Will Windsor Clive, Cabinet member for fire, planning and infrastructure said, “These are valuable workshops sharing knowledge that can help save lives. If you’ve recently dusted down your motorbike and wheeled it out of the garage for the summer season, please consider signing up for one of these free sessions.”

To book on one of the Biker Down workshops contact chris.harrison@glosfire.gov.uk

For the latest road safety advice visit www.roadsafety-gloucestershire.org.uk