Peterborough MAG Fred Hill Run
We had planned on attending the East Anglia region Fred Hill run earlier in the year but local MAG commitments and the weather had stopped us.
On the back of that we decided to hold a run to celebrate the stand of the legendary freedom fighter later in the year to raise awareness of Fred’s story, the ongoing work of MAG and add to MAG’s fighting fund. The date was set for June 1st, on which day, 40 years ago, the helmet law come into force taking away our freedom. There was a good regional MAG presence as we gathered at the starting point with members from Towcester, Leicester, Rutland, Lincs and Peterborough present and a guest appearance from Neil our Eastern Regional Rep, brought out by the promise of chips! With Tink’s hand-made Fred Hill flag flying from the rear of his bike Dave led the bikes as we
set off for the pick-up point at Kings Lynn before carrying on to the coast.
‘Sunny Hunny’ Hunstanton was once again failing to live up to it’s ironic moniker but it was only overcast, not cold or raining so we had no cause for complaint.
The weather hadn’t done much to deter the seaside traffic either and we were able to demonstrate the benefit of being on two wheels as the group filtered through stationary traffic. On arriving at Kings Lynn we picked up several more bikes making 29 in total. The collection tin was shaken once again and Dave gave a quick speech on Fred Hill and the work of MAG before we saddled up for the last leg of the ride down to the coast.
On arriving in Hunstanton we parked up in the coach park where the official MAG ride finished.
Our final destination was a few hundred yards further on down the front and for those who wanted, this was completed ‘hats off’ in honour of the great man, although no pressure was put on anyone who didn’t want to complete the ride in this fashion. When it comes down to it that’s the whole point, most of us would chose to wear a helmet most of the time but object to not having the choice.
The principle of fighting to protect our rights and our lifestyle lives on.
Having turned a few heads on
the way to the seafront and got parked up, there was a scramble to get up to the chip shop where we had managed to secure a free drink with any food purchased for those on the run and shortly afterwards the sun started to shine.
Faces were filled, as people lazed on the seafront, some playing like children before
small groups turned their wheels for home – or at least followed those who knew in which direction home lay.
It was a great ride in good company. Thanks to all who came and whose donations raised over £60 for the MAG fighting fund. Thanks to Amanda at the Elm Tree Tavern for opening up for us and to R & B’s chip shop for the free drink. We hope to see you all again next year on the 1st June. Let those who ride decide! Paul Ayers Peterborough Deputy Rep Photo by Mike Hood.
Helmets off in the cause of safety MAG are always banging on about getting helmets off heads
It’s long been a popular misconception that you shouldn’t remove a biker’s crash helmet after an accident and indeed one that was held by most of us at Peterborough MAG.
Now as those who have crashed a bike at some point know, it gets awfully claustrophobic inside a full face while you’re ‘acclimatising’ to your new body modifications and getting the helmet off is a blessed relief! This was a Peterborough MAG event that was almost immediately well attended. Why? Well let’s face it we could all very easily be the first person on the scene of an accident and when you’re offered the chance of free first aid advice
specifically aimed at bikers there is a bit of spectre in the back of your mind. Who wants to find themselves in that situation having turned down the opportunity to prepare for it and
possibly save someone’s life because of that preparation? One Saturday morning we rode over to Oundle Fire Station for the course that was run by Northants Fire Service. Here we were met by a lovely lady called Jill who’d had 13 years experience as a paramedic before moving over to the fire service. Jill was brilliant. We covered the reasons for removing the helmet along with a demonstration of doing it. Notwithstanding the serious
subject it was a good humoured morning which escalated to outright hilarity when it was our turn to get into groups of three to practice removing each other’s helmets not to mention beards. As it turns out, having a tight fitting helmet leaves you with your top lip stretched over your nose during the removal, not that you’d be too worried if you were unconscious which Gary wasn’t
hence his disapproving noises. Meanwhile Jim got quite excitable when Tink found it necessary to straddle him during the removal although he didn’t sound quite as miffed as Gary. As well as helmet removal we were also able to ask many other questions regarding dos and don’ts for crash situations. I’m avoiding detail as a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. What I will say is that everyone who attended came away with invaluable knowledge relating not only to what to do but how to do it. While we all hope that we will never have to use it, that knowledge will provide the confidence to take the appropriate actions, take charge of the situation and remain calm, while providing comfort and support to the injured party. As the training was free we’d collected donations to buy Jill a token of our appreciation and
also donated money to the fire service benevolent fund. With the course over and Gary’s bike charged enough to start after borrowing a battery charger from the station, we saddled up and rode over to AJs Diner for lunch. If you haven’t been on a course like this I’d thoroughly recommend finding one in your area, you never know when you might need the knowledge that you’d gain. Paul Ayres Peterborough Deputy Rep
The ROAD 71
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84