Reading Toy Run

Today I went to watch the 29th annual Reading Toy Run. Today's run was awarded a record by the Guinness World Records. 1735 Bikers participated as well as a further 592 who accompanied them. Each of the participants brought one toy to carry with on his or her bike and the convoy ran the 7 miles from Reading to Wokingham. From my perspective as a spectator, the parade of Santa motorcyclists took about 45 minutes. This almost makes me want to rush out and buy a motorbike of some sort so I can join in next year!

The recipient of the gifts was Banardo's High Close School where the gifts would be distributed and shared with other Banardos locations throughout the south of England. Most of the bikers were dressed as Santas or other festive characters, and many of the bikes were decorated with tinsel, garlands, Christmas trees or wrapping. There were even some dogs, also dressed up and riding with their owners on the bikes.

This annual tradition was started in 1985 by 18 members of the Reading Christian Motorcyclists. It started small but has grown to the size it is today, with thousands all over the country now joining the effort. My friend Sean was one of the original organisers and he can be seen on this short video from BBC South from this evening's news.

This video gives more views from the day, including the starting point in Reading and the destination in Wokingham.
The Rider's Eye View of the 2014 World Record Reading Toy Run
(See the cute Santa-dogs at 6:21 and 6:30)