Easy riders Bob Woodcock, 71, and Melvyn Thomas, 72, will ride from Royston, near Barnsley, down to Land’s End in Cornwall, the southwestern most point of England, back up to John O’Groats, the northernmost point of the UK, before heading home to South Yorkshire.
The 11-day trip, which will start on Sunday 11 May, will raise money for Royston Salvation Army to support families and provide food for children over the school holidays.
It is the 14th year that great-grandfather Bob has hit the road to raise money for charity.
Bob, who also has three daughters and five grandchildren, said: “The Salvation Army do a fantastic job, they never turn anyone away and are always there to help people that need it.
“I am a forces child, my father was in the army and was attached to regiments, so we were always on the move and The Salvation Army was always there. That’s something I remember.
“This challenge started back in 2011 when I said to my wife ‘I think I’ll do Land’s End to John O’Groats’ and I thought if I’m doing that I might as well raise some money for charity. I’ve done it for other charities, always ones that are close to my heart, and this will be the fourth time the money has gone towards The Salvation Army.”
Bob will be riding his Triumph 900 1996 model, on which he has clocked up more than 100,000 miles over 20 years, while Melvyn, who has joined him on this journey for the last two years, will be riding a Royal Enfield 350.
Bob continued: “I love the freedom, the journey, seeing new places and meeting people. You get to see a lot more on the bike, you stop off at cafes and there’s always bikers around so you start a conversation. We’ve made friends on this trip over the years so they always give us cheap accommodation and contribute towards the fundraising. We also have a mascot called Boris so people are always looking out for him.
“I have a paper map, no sat nav! I write the route down, but I know it by heart now so half the time I don’t need to look at it. We do deviate every now and again and try a different road if it’s going in the general direction.”
Melvyn, who has two children, five grandchildren and one great granddaughter, was inspired to get involved in the trip when The Salvation Army’s Terry Hendy, who now leads the nearby Wakefield church, gave him a copy of Biker Bible, a publication produced for the Christian Motorcyclists’ Association with the New Testament and personal stories of bikers whose lives have been changed by faith.
Melvyn said: “In that I came across a story that sounded like that of a family member in Scarborough, I rang them and confirmed that it was indeed, theirs. That sealed the deal and I joined Bob on his motorbike challenge. We meet a few people on the trip, quite often people will wave or pap their car horns which gives each ride a bit of a lift.”
The majority of the money will go to The Salvation Army, with some also going to Barnsley Children’s Hospital, who looked after Bob’s great-granddaughter when she was poorly.
Royston Salvation Army runs a community drop-in, foodbank, parent and toddler group and Bible fellowship each week.
Brian, one of a team of dedicated volunteers, said: “The fundraising they do is a massive help. Over the Easter holidays we provided 130 lunches to kids to help alleviate some of the financial pressures on local families. We try to help kids at Christmas too with presents and food. The other day we had someone come to us who had no electric, so we could help with that.
“All of these are problems that people in our community face and The Salvation Army can help with thanks to the generosity of Bob and Melvyn, and others who raise money and donate. We look forward to waving them off on Sunday and wish them a safe journey!”
To donate please visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bobandmelvynbikeride
For more information on Royston Salvation Army visit their website here https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/royston or search for them on Facebook.