A series of free motorbike workshops that teach riders vital life-saving skills is back for another year.

Biker Down Staffordshire is a training course run by bikers for bikers to give them the confidence and knowledge to respond if a fellow motorcyclist is involved in a collision.

It’s open to all ages, abilities and licence types and is back, building on its success, for a fifth year.

The Biker Down team, comprising serving and ex-members of the emergency services with decades of operational blue light response experience, is led by Rob Gilligan, a former sergeant and police motorcyclist at Staffordshire Police Road Crime Team and the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG).

This year the team will be riding pillion with local dealerships to help spread the word even further. Staffordshire Honda, Staffordshire Triumph and the brand new Staffordshire Ducati Dealership, due to open in July, will all be hosting events.

The workshops consist of three modules: scene safety, casualty care and rider skills. Each participant will receive a bespoke trauma care kit designed to be carried on a motorcycle, along with a Biker Down pin badge to show their support for the biking community.

Sessions will be taking place at Staffordshire Police headquarters, on Weston Road, Stafford, on the following dates: 18 May, 22 June, 10 August, 14 September and 16 November.

The team will be at Staffordshire Honda, on Blackfriars Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, on Sunday 13 April, Staffordshire Triumph, on High Street, Tunstall, on Sunday 27 July, and the new Staffordshire Ducati Dealership, on Blackfriars Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, on Sunday 5 October.

Rob Gilligan said: “If you were first on the scene of an accident involving a motorcyclist, would you know what to do? Would you know who was most at risk, how to protect the area, or whether you should remove the helmet of a downed fellow rider?

“Our workshops are designed to answer all these questions and more whilst giving people the chance to learn practical skills to help them avoid being involved in a collision in a friendly and relaxed environment.

“We’ll even throw in the brews and biscuits.”

To register your interest, email: BikerDown@staffssaferroads.co.uk

For more about Biker Down, visit: https://staffssaferroads.co.uk/bikerdown/

Pictured: Rob Gilligan with Ian Williams, Bob Sheldon and Michelle Dawson, owners of Staffordshire Honda, Triumph and Ducati