Mental Health Motorbike charity establish Welsh hub at Llandovery tea room

A motorcycling mental health charity has kicked off a new wellbeing hub at the Owl’s Nest Tea Room in Llandovery with a special event featuring a raft of local biking personalities.

Taking place on a drizzly Sunday, 3 December, the cosy café played host to Dakar Rally finishers Simon Hewitt, and Neil Hawker, as well as inspiring one armed racer Chris Ganley, former competitor Jeff Jones (aka Slippery Taff), and many more.

It was all in aid of the charity Mental Health Motorbike (MHM) who offer support and advice to bikers in need, as well as raise awareness and reduce the risk of suicide amongst riders. Together with the Owl’s Nest, the group now plan to offer support on the first Sunday of each month at the venue for those in need.

Following the launch event, MCN spoke with Welsh Regional Coordinator, Paul Sims who said: “I went to see Ian Marquis, the owner, at the beginning of June.”

He continued: “I couldn’t have wished for a better reception and his initial enthusiasm certainly helped fire my own determination to make Wales a stronghold for Mental Health Motorbike. We almost immediately started to talk about how we might launch the charity in Wales and establish the Owls Nest as a Well-being centre for bikers.”

It’s hoped that this will be the first of many partnerships of this kind, and those wanting to know more should visit mhmotorbike.com now.

Paul continued: “To my mind the importance of this venture has been reinforced by the fact that, the day after our launch event, I received confirmation that our application for National Lottery Community Fund Wales grant funding had been approved some two months earlier than originally anticipated. Now that has to be a good omen!”