Good news as festival saved amid plea for public support

THERE is some good news at last this week from Bikers Make A Difference, whose spring bike festival on Paignton Green has been saved after all.

The organisers had gone as far as to cancel the 2019 festival after receiving a lukewarm response to an appeal for help.

Now, however, the community has begun to rally round. Pledges have been made, support has been gathered, and good-hearted people are working behind the scenes to smooth the way.

You may not have a motor- cycle, and you may not be a lover of rock music, but the benefits of the BMAD festival go far beyond that.

The organisation raises a huge amount of money for charity, and the festival gives the tourist season a huge kick-start each May, not just for Paignton but also for Torbay and South Devon as a whole.

We lose these big events at our peril. Once they have gone, they are almost impossible to bring back. It is good to see BMAD valued in this way, and we wish them every success with the 2019 festival