Bikers roar in with £30,000 from Shrewsbury-to-RAF Cosford ride
Bikers raised £30,000 for charity after thousands took to the M54 for an annual event.
About 3,000 bikers from across the country took part in the Bike4Life Ride Out and Festival.
Riders, raising money for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and Royal Air Force Museum, took part in a 23-mile ride along the M54 from Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, to the RAF Museum Cosford on Sunday.
More than twice the number of bikers joined the event this year compared to last.
Television's Emergency Bikers Mark Hayes and Steve Forrest were two of the bikers leading the ride out before spending the day at the festival meeting and greeting fans.
As well as the 3,000 bikers on the ride out, over 2,000 additional bikers headed straight to the festival along with almost 8,000 visitors on site throughout the day.
Nina Mitchell, events executive for the RAF Museum Cosford, said: "We knew the event this year was going to be big, judging by the level of interest we received in the build-up, but nothing could prepare us for the overwhelming support from the bikers who turned out on the day.
"We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended and donated to the two event charities, we hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as we did.
"We have received some fantastic feedback on our Facebook and Twitter pages and we hope to see everyone again next year."
Upon arrival at the museum, bikers were treated to an afternoon packed with entertainment, including a flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire and live music supplied by five rock bands on the Planet Rock stage.
The Cosford-based Midlands Air Ambulance helicopter was also at the event – but was called out several times during the day, showing the need to continue to raise vital funds for the service.
Jason Levy, director for Midlands Air Ambulance, said: "We were overwhelmed by the level of people who attended both the ride out and the festival.
"Bikers make up about a fifth of the air ambulance missions we attend, so their support is hugely appreciated by everyone at the charity."
Photos at www.bike4lifefest.co.uk
