Perry and Riders for Health BBC appeal.

Moto GP's official charity, Riders for Health, has teamed up with the BBC in a bid to help people in remote African communities giving them a healthier future this Christmas.

The award-winning charity, which helps African health workers use motorbikes to deliver regular healthcare, will make an appeal for funding in the BBC's Lifeline programme on Sunday 17th December. The BBC's Suzi Perry, who fronts the Moto GP coverage, will host the appeal, which features Riders' work in the Gambia, West Africa.

Every year millions of people die unnecessarily in developing countries because of lack of access to treatment. To combat this problem, Riders for Health has developed vehicle maintenance and training systems to enable African health workers to reach rural communities on a regular basis. In 2006 the charity's African-led teams helped to reach nearly 11 million people with regular healthcare, and it is now appealing for funding to expand its work even further to reach another 10 million people by 2015.

One beneficiary of Riders' work is 26 year-old Manyo Gibba, whose story is told in the programme. Based in the village of Medina Serign Mass, about half a day's journey from the Gambian capital, Banjul, she cares for nearly 20,000 people in 14 villages. For the last four years, her tough job has been made easier by a simple motorcycle, managed by Riders for Health.

"Before I had the motorcycle," explains Manyo, "I had to walk or hire a donkey cart to visit my villages. Many of the communities would not see me for a month or more. But now I can visit them at any time of the day or night, and they see me at least once a week."

TV presenter Perry, recently hit the headlines when she tried out a different kind of horsepower in the Sport Relief programme, Only Fools on Horses. A long-term supporter of Riders, she returned to her biking roots to make the appeal on behalf of the charity.

"You could argue it's the less glamorous side of life-saving," says Perry, "Riders don't rush in with vast amounts of food or perform emergency operations, but it's absolutely certain that without the role they play hundreds - maybe thousands - of people wouldn't be alive today. So if you're a biker like me, or you just admire the fantastic job Riders are doing, please support this appeal and make a donation today."

The Lifeline programme will be shown on BBC 1 at 3.30 on Sunday, 17th December, and will be repeated on BBC 2 at 1.00 on Wednesday, 20th December.

To make a donation, call 0800 093 93 94 (from 17th December), or send a cheque payable to 'Riders for Health' to Freepost, RIDERS FOR HEALTH. Or you can donate online at www.riders.org.