Three charities in the Edinburgh area have been shortlisted to receive vital cash from Scotmid.

Blood Bikes Scotland is one of three good cause groups who has been short-listed by a Scotmid member selection panel to receive a financial award of either £15,000, £7,500 or £2,500.

The other groups are Broxburn Family Centre and Prestonpans based Harlawhill Day Care Centre.

Scotmid members collect votes by swiping their Community Connect card after every in-store purchase and then cast their votes for their preferred good cause group at Scotmid’s East Region Ordinary General Meeting at Murrayfield Stadium in October.

Based in South Queensferry, Blood Bikes Scotland provides a professional, free and urgent courier service to Lothian and Borders hospitals and trusts.

A small team of dedicated volunteers provide the service outside of normal office hours, removing the need for the NHS to use more expensive methods such as couriers, saving hospitals and health boards’ vast sums of money.

Blood Bikes also deliver urgent medical supplies, blood samples, baby milk, medication or test samples to Accident and Emergency departments, wards and home addresses.

The Community Connect funding will go towards purchasing a new motorbike, which will enable the charity to expand the service they provide into the Fife area.

Blood Bikes Scotland Chairman John Baxter said: “It is great news that we have been short-listed for a Community Connect award – it is fantastic to be a part of such a brilliant initiative.”