A MOTORCYCLIST who suffered serious leg injuries in a Wiltshire crash is helping Great Western Air Ambulance (GWAAC) to promote bike safety.

Last year 23.5 per cent of the jobs attended by the critical care team with Wiltshire Air Ambulance were road traffic collisions, with five per cent of them involving motorbikes.

One of these was Matthew Close, 23, who was knocked off his motorbike in Wiltshire. He was on an organised ride when a car pulled out in front of him, causing him to swerve and crash.

Mr Close suffered serious leg injuries and needed the services of the critical care team.

After spending more than a week in hospital, Mr Close, who is supporting the new scheme, was allowed home and visited the base with 60 members of the 4 Counties Bikers to personally thank the crew.

Now Great Western Air Ambulance Charity are keen to highlight the importance of motorbike safety to protect bikers like Mr Close, and are lending their support to Biker Down workshops run by the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership.

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.

They are aimed at all levels of motorcyclists from the seasoned biker to the young and inexperienced rider.

GWAAC community fundraising coordinator Nicole Beebee said: “Our crew attend a lot of accidents involving motorbikes, so we are well aware of how important bike safety is. We are delighted to support the Biker Down workshops.

“The critical care team respond to incidents very quickly, but if there is someone at the scene trained in first aid then this could make a big different to the outcome – essentially meaning that more lives are saved.”