Calling all bikers….this Spring, bikers from across the Midlands are invited to attend one of the region’s biggest biker events in support of two local charities - Midlands Air Ambulance and the Royal Air Force Museum.

Taking place on Sunday 27th April, the Bike4Life Festival is being held at the RAF Museum Cosford and is backed by some of the biggest biker organisations, dealerships and suppliers in the UK including Stratstone, Triumph, Harley and Bridgestone. You will find everything a biker could possibly need all in one place and in addition to this, with arena displays, stalls and exhibitions, biker tutorials raising awareness of road safety and live music supported by Planet Rock radio, the atmosphere will be electric. Plus, there will be a spectacular flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire to wow the crowds. 

This fundraising festival will run from 10:00am to 4:00pm and visitors of all ages, not just bikers are encouraged to come along. There will be plenty of family entertainment including Kiddie Quadz and in the arena there will be a mountain bike display team and a Moto Gymkhana demonstration. Plus, why not have a go and test your strength in the tyre balance game sponsored by Bridgestone where you could be in with a chance of winning a set of Bridgstone tyres worth over £300. Specially commissioned Bike4Life merchandise including biker snoods, hoodies and collectable enamel pin badges will be available to purchase on the day with all proceeds going towards the two event charities.

Midlands Air Ambulance is the only charity responsible for funding and operating three air ambulances serving six counties within the Midlands. What is not widely known is that the service receives no Government or National Lottery funding. Each time the air ambulance undertakes a mission it costs £2,500, meaning in excess of £6.5 million is needed each year to keep its three air ambulances operational, which is donated entirely by the public and local businesses, with four in ten of those they help, funded by gifts in wills.

As a national museum, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford proudly hosts a world class collection of aircraft and aviation memorabilia that can be viewed for free daily from 10am. Exhibits on display include the worlds’ oldest Spitfire, the mighty Vulcan bomber and the Dornier Do17 recently salvaged from the bottom of the English Channel. Additional funding for future expansion, acquisition and development must be found through sponsorship, donations and fundraising events such as this. Funds raised from the Bike4Life event will go towards the upkeep of the exhibits on display.

RAF Museum Cosford Events Executive, Nina Mitchell says: “After years of holding and developing this event, the 2014 Bike4Life Fest promises to be a great day out for the whole family to enjoy. Year on year, the event has grown from strength to strength and this year the response from the biking community has been phenomenal, with over 1,600 bikers already signed up for the Ride Out, the biggest advanced registration in the events history. We have lots of added extras at this year’s event including a ‘Best in Show’ competition and fantastic live music supported by Planet Rock.”

In addition to the Festival, bikers have the option of taking part in the Bike4Life Ride Out, gathering at Meole Brace Park and Ride, Shrewsbury from 10am and travelling en mass to the Bike4Life Festival at Cosford, arriving around midday. Entry to the Festival and participation in the Ride Out is free, however we ask bikers to dig deep and make a suitable donation on the day, with all proceeds from the event going towards the running costs of each charity.

Organisers are anticipating that as the day draws nearer and the weather warms up, hundreds more will show their support. For more information on Bike4Life Festival or to register for the Ride Out, please visit www.bike4lifefest.com. Keep up to date with the latest news and event information by following us on Facebook – Bike4Life Fest or on Twitter @Bike4LifeFest.

The event is also in collaboration with Safer Roads Partnership and West Mercia Police who work tirelessly to promote road safety and to help reduce the number of road traffic collisions across West Mercia. Bikers can find out more information on the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by visiting www.midlandsairambulance.com or for more information on the RAF Museum Cosford visit www.rafmuseum.org.

Further details about the Safer Roads Partnership can be found at www.srpwestmercia.org.uk