Pit ride in support of Donna
An endearing blend of scooter love was behind the inspiration for the development of Wayne ‘Shy’ Marshall’s pit ride series, which is in support of cancer patient Donna Press of the Featherstone Spartans SC.
Shy explained that his grandfather and father, Alfred – who’s in his 80s –were both miners. “I came up with the idea for the pit ride series because I’ve always been interested in the mining industry and its history. I was brought up in the pit village of Kinsley in Yorkshire and as a kid I used to love listening to the tales that my dad used to tell about his times as a miner. In fact I’ve now got a custom scooter called A Miner’s Life.” (For more information on Shy’s scooter turn to this month’s Classic Scooterist).
Having been a rally-going scooterist for more than 20 years, Shy eventually joined the Featherstone Spartans SC and more recently, in 2020, after consultation with other local scooterists, he formed the Kinsley Drifters SC.
“The pit in our village was called the Kinsley Drift and after putting it to a vote we decided to call the club Kinsley Drifters in memory of the mine.
“I know Donna from being in the Spartans and when I heard that she was being treated for cancer I knew that developing the pit ride series as a fundraiser in support of her would be a great idea.”
Not only has the fundraiser helped Donna with her care and support but, as she explained, donations have also been made to a charity nominated by Donna, Jessica’s Stoma Journey. Donna explained: “Due to my surgery and my treatment I’ve ended up with a permanent stoma. Jessica is a wonderful seven-year-old little girl who suffers from a chronic bowel condition and is an advocate for stoma awareness.” At the start of the pit rides Donna and Alfred saw about 50 scooters mainly from Featherstone Spartans, Kinsley Drifters and Elm Valley SCs take to the road.
Over the course of the rides, the sites of collieries all over the Yorkshire area will be visited, which will no doubt take a lot of the participants on a trip down memory lane.
Donations to Jessica’s Stoma Journey can be made at: ‘Jessica Dowle is fundraising for A Bear Named Buttony’ (justgiving.com)