2009

 

Thanks to the incredible support from everyone involved last year we were able to raise over £5,400 for the Paul Ackrill Fund, www.paulackrill.co.uk, a charity set up in the memory of an incredibly brave young man which gives a donation of £500 to teenagers and young people suffering from terminal cancer.

 

We, the organisers of RyansRyde, became aware of this wonderfully generous fund when our grandson, Ryan, received £500 quite unexpectedly. Sadly Ryan died in March 2006, aged just 19, and as Ryan loved his bikes, we thought it only fitting to raise some money and awareness of the disease by hosting an event like this, all of the proceeds of which will go into the fund and hopefully this will help more people like Ryan and Paul as every £500 raised will go towards helping to make there lives more enjoyable.  

 

2008

 

We arrived at The Rose & Crown on Friday afternoon, and pitched our tent in glorious sunshine (little did we know the weather conditions we would have to contend with over the weekend!!!!!!!!)   Pitched and unloaded, off we went to the local supermarket for supplies (of the liquid variety).  We spent a very mellow Friday evening meeting up with some old friends and generally enjoying the company.

 

Saturday saw quite a bit of rain which turned the field at the back of the pub into boggy marshland, but that didn’t stop Henry the pony from giving anyone who thought they were a budding Ben Hur a ride on his chariot.  Chicken Mick helped raise some serious money by charging £1 a time for a spin on Jacquie’s new trike.  Later on that evening everyone was well into party mood, a small band of diehards managed to stay awake until 4 a.m. (obviously they didn’t make it to Hopwood with us for 8)

 

Torrential rain during the night meant that we woke up to a jacuzzi in the tent on Sunday morning, and on our arrival at Hopwood the weather threatened to turn really bad, with a really heavy downpour just as bikers began to arrive in serious numbers.  Due to West Mercia Constabulary dropping us right in the s**t…..  forty eight hours previously, by doing a complete U turn on the marshalling front, it was left to the lads from the B.O.F.F., 1066, & V.S.O.C. plus a few other willing bikers to take care of the safety of the convoy, and a bloody good job they did too, our thanks to all of you!

 

For the third year running the weather held out, and the sun was so hot that Beau burned his freshly shaved head!!  Waiting to greet us all at Raphael’s was the Lord & Lady Mayoress, and we were made very welcome indeed.   All too soon the barbeque was finished, Gill Ackrill’s beautifully baked bread pudding eaten, and it was time to get back on the bikes for our return to The Rose & Crown for lots of socializing before everyone began to head off home.  Just a handful of us stayed back to camp one last night, and people who were having an evening meal in the pub kindly picked out raffle tickets for us – we managed to give a few out to winners who were in the pub, but most we phoned the next day.

 

We packed up on Monday morning in the worst rain we’ve seen for a while, but it didn’t matter, as everyone had enjoyed themselves, the ride went off safely, and we’d made lots of money for youngsters at the Q.E.’s Young Person’s Unit, through the Paul Ackrill Fund.  We couldn’t have done it without you, and Beau, Roger, and I thank everyone, who, despite the weather, gave up their Sunday to support us. To date the total sum is over £4,300 with more to come.  We would appreciate it if you could let us know if you preferred Evesham to Bourton, to help us decide for next year

 

Beau, Barb & Rollin’ Rog.  Tel.07738620685