Event: Join the Ride of Respect on Sunday

Show your gratitude for Britain’s armed services and help raise money for a range of ex-servicemen and women’s organisations by joining one of the Ride of Respect mass rideouts this Sunday – timed to tie in with Remembrance Day events around the country.

The idea is simple and the result promises to be striking, as riders dress in red, which can be as simple as a red sweatshirt over your normal leathers although you can also purchase official gear, and form a ring of red around the M60 motorway in the north and M25 in the south to represent a poppy.

A spokesman said: “The aim is to form a circle of bikers dressed in red making up the biggest poppy in the world. Riders will all be on the motorway by 1.30pm travelling in a clockwise direction for about 45 minutes, each group joining up to form the ring.

“The rides are intended to present a physical show of support for our armed forces, both current and previous. Not every biker goes to a remembrance service on this day, but I do know that they respect our servicemen and women. This is just another way of showing it.”

The M25 ride will set off from official meeting points on the M25 services at Thurrock, Clacket Lane, Cobham and South Mimms with other meeting points on motorways that join the M25 at Fleet, Reading, Beaconsfield, Toddington and Birchanger Green.

Aim to be at the assembly points for 11.30am and look out for reps in green high-viz and marshals in pink. The ride start times will vary and also depend on quantities of bikers, so organisers are asking you to be there early. For those who choose to arrive early, there will be a two-minute silence at 11am at many of the gathering points.

It’s a similar plan for the M60 with meeting point at Birch services at midday.

In 2015 there were around 3000 bikes on the ride, this year they’re hoping for at least 5000 to comfortably complete the ring.

Good causes this year include Hounds for Heroes, who provide assistance dogs for veterans, and Care After Combat, who run a number of schemes helping ex-servicemen and women cope with a range of problems.

The ride is free but if you would like to make a donation this can be done on the day or via the website.   For more details and links to the Facebook sites please visit
www.therideofrespect.co.uk.