One rainy Sunday morning last September, around a dozen members of the Association joined Gill Hitchen as volunteer marshals at the Rossendale Valley Motor Bike Show.

We had been told to expect a lot of bikes but in the event ‘a lot’ was the greatest understatement I have come across in a long time. Thousands of bikes turned up (in spite of the rain) from all parts of the North West and far beyond. Our group was based at Winfields car park at Haslingdon. Our role to make sure the ride-in to Rawtenstall assembled safely before setting off en masse. In the event, the parade into Rawtenstall took nearly 25 minutes to pass – an awful lot of bikes.

Police estimated 50,000 people packed into Rawtenstall itself and had a great time enjoying in the afternoon sunshine all the bands, displays, stalls and events. If you want a much more comprehensive description of aspects of the Show, their website ‘www.rossendale-bikeshow.co.uk’ is well worth a look.