Great Gatherings: Amazing images from Ride to Wall

Thousands brave rain to join Ride to the Wall

‘Conditions like this say so much about the riders’

Bikers from all over the country converged on the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Saturday for the Ride to the Wall Service of Remembrance. This unique event was founded in 2008 to provide funds for the arboretum and to honour the servicemen and women whose names are etched on the Armed Forces Memorial. RTTW begins with a mass ride in from 11 different start points and we joined up with the group rolling out of a wet and windy Northampton services. “Don’t think of it as rain, think of it as tears,” says organiser Martin Dickinson, as we watched a steady stream of bikes splash into the car park. “Conditions like this say so much about the people taking part. Nobody really talks about the sunny rides, but they all remember the wet ones.” Martin’s HOG Chapter, Nene Valley, organised the first RTTW and they’re still involved as marshals. Thanks to them, and the cooperation of the police, progress to the NMA is surprisingly slick even the M6 Toll waive their charge for the day. Credit should also go to the ‘Bridge Babes’ who show their enduring support by cheering from overpasses along the route. Once all the rides were safely parked the rain did indeed stop, allowing the crowd of almost 6500 time to reflect during a poignant, respectful and emotional service. “It’s so moving,’ says Steve Wagner from Hull, who’s taken part in the last ten rides with wife Louise. “It’s a special day for everyone, not just ex-services.”