Daisy Appeal joins charity village to welcome Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to Hull marina

Bikers Keith Riley (left) and Rob Olive (right) with Louis Allott and Claire Levy.

A bikers’ charity ride which has raised funds and awareness worldwide for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health arrived in Hull to be welcomed by a local charity village.

More than 200 bikers rumbled into the Fruit Market as part of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to kickstart a rally and fun day which featured live music, children’s rides and stalls set up by charities including the Daisy Appeal, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind, Dove House Hospice and The Samaritans.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride dates back to 2012 and unites classic and vintage styled motorcycle riders from all over the world. The first event took place in Sydney, Australia, and was joined by 3,000 riders. By 2022 the number of participants was up to 94,000, who raised more than $6m by riding through 804 cities in 101 countries.

In Hull, one of 52 rides over the weekend in cities across England, the 210 riders received donations and pledges worth over £17,000 to be shared between the charities which lined the marina.

Among them was Hornsea biker Keith Riley, who has been riding for about 50 years and came along with his 1976 Norton Commando motorcycle.

Keith said: “I’ve been doing this ride for nearly 10 years. I’ve got a prostate problem which is benign and is a reminder that all of these charities are good causes.”

Rob Olive from Hull arrived aboard his Honda Africa Twin.

He said: “I’ve been riding motorcycles for about 40 years and this is my third year taking part in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. It’s a great event and will hopefully raise a lot of money and awareness.”

The Daisy Appeal works to improve accuracy and detection rates for people with cancer, heart disease and dementia in Hull, East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.

Claire Levy, Fundraiser for the Daisy Appeal, attended the ride along with Vicki Jackson, a volunteer with the charity, and Dr Louis Allott, Lecturer in Radiochemistry & Molecular Imaging in the Centre for Biomedicine at the University of Hull, and Head of Radiochemistry in the new Molecular Imaging Research Centre (MIRC) at Castle Hill Hospital.

Claire said: “We were delighted and grateful to be invited to bring a stall to the ride. It’s a fantastic event with some spectacular motorbikes which have attracted big crowds and generated a wonderful family atmosphere.

“The money we raise from donations and merchandise sales will help to fund our work, which benefits people across the Hull and Humber region, and our presence has enabled us to tell more people what we do. It’s clear that the riders and the organisers are aware of us and we hope to spread the word and maybe encourage people to invite us to other big events.”

Since its foundation in 2002 the Daisy Appeal has raised more than £22m. The Daisy Appeal Medical Research Centre opened on the Castle Hill Hospital site in 2008 and was followed, in 2014, by the opening of the Jack Brignall PET-CT Scanning Centre, housing the first in a new type of Siemens scanner in the country.

The MIRC has been built at a cost of £8.8m and will become operational later this year.

To find out more please visit https://daisyappeal.org/