Gillian Cox and I visited Ken in hospital today. Ken has been transferred from Stepping Hill to Ward A2 at Wythenshawe Hospital for plastic surgery to his foot and will probably be in Wythenshawe until next weekend (28 June). He then expects to return to Stepping Hill for another couple of weeks or so. Ken is making good progress and has been out of bed and getting around the ward. He is looking forward to getting on his bike again and is talking about buying a new one. Visiting times at Wythenshawe are 2pm to 4pm and 7pm to 8pm and I am sure that he would be very pleased to see Chapter visitors.

Richard

16th May – Jake’s Prom Night
Nine bikes and ten Hatters assembled at the Dealership at fairly short notice to escort a deserving young man called Jake to his school prom at the former Commonwealth Games Stadium.
Jake is a Junior foster carer from a somewhat deprived background but has risen above that to become an exceptional student with a place at Oxford! His Mum had been unable to secure suitable transport to take him to this event and asked Ratty if the Chapter could help. It was a great feeling to turn up at his house to pick him up and see his face and all the neighbours who came out to see him off. His mum was in floods of tears and hugged each Hatter in turn with special thanks for Ratty who loaned Jake a helmet for the ride.
On arrival at the stadium, security came out to tell us we couldn’t stop but, when we explained what we were there for, they were cool about it and started taking photo’s while asking the usual questions about owning a Harley. All his classmates were at the large windows gawping, what a thrill for him. Jake’s response after his first ever ride on a bike was ‘Wow! That was awesome – the best ride I’ve ever had.’ He looks like a Harley convert for the future.

Brian Mason

Thurs 4th June
Some hatters set off from the dealership to meet at Birch Services. 24 bikes & 25 hatters set off for the docks at Hull. We had a brief stop at ferrybridge & arrived dockside around 4.50, where we had fun sorting out who bunked with who. After sorting that out we all dumped our gear & headed straight for the bar. There was a choice of food with the café
doing pie & peas etc to the restaurant & also an all in buffet. The usual hatter's frivolity proceeded. Some of us had a flutter on the cards for an hour or there was live entertainment on stage. Some of us were still chatting until the bar shut.

Friday 5th June
We were all awoke & got ready for our journey. We disembarked around 8.30 to meet our hosts Johan & Harry. We travelled about a mile to our breakfast destination the New Pioneer Café. We had ham, eggs & cheese with lots of rolls of all shapes & sizes. We picked up a couple who had passed me near birch services on Thurs & they asked if they could travel with us. (They must have thought we looked a nice bunch). We set off for
our short journey of 75 miles to a town called Leer sum near Amersfoort.
The Park was very well set up with camping, Log Cabins, & Chalets. We arrived at 1.30 but we could not check in straight away so some of us decided to get a beer in. We all eventually around 2pm got checked in & got our rally packs. The packs consisted of a lot of bumf but there was a great t-shirt, pin, pen a golf ball & a cowboy hat.
The log cabins were very nice 2 bed with bathroom, kitchen & dining/living room. There were tables & chairs outside & we could put our bikes under cover. The camping facilities were very good with top class showers etc. They even had a vast secure underground parking. The site had several bars, café & even a spar shop. There was an indoor & outdoor swimming pool & a bowling alley.
We all met in the bar for a beer & we all went our different ways for food & then some of us went for a walk around the trade stalls. There as quite a good array of stalls selling the usual parts, clothes, paint jobs etc. They also had the chapter challenge tasks set out. The theme was cowboys so that’s why we got the hat. The challenge was
shooting, straw bail throwing over a high bar, Bull riding, horse show throwing & lasso a post. I had a go at a couple of challenges but I refrained from the bull riding. Trev and keith had a go, I have the photos to prove it!!! (Mand)
Now we all had a few beers & some of us ended up dancing or falling on the floor a lot depending on how much we had drunk. The band was excellent & had the crowd singing & dancing. We all stayed up till the death & several hatters had to be escorted back as they hadn’t a clue where they were never mind where they were sleeping.

Saturday 6th June
Some of us did actually awake in the morning but a few only saw afternoon. We had to meet at 10.am for the ride-outs. Only myself Shauna & Brian made it for the ride-out & we were late but luckily the HOG ride called the ABC ride started every time a group arrived so there were start times between 10-12pm. Luckily we hitched onto a small group of
about 12 riders which we found to be an advantage. Our aim was to set out to checkpoints where we all had our photographs taken which I believe they will be on the Hogs website. Now we got points for specific checkpoints. Thing is we don’t know what it was in aid of but we had good fun. The route took us about 85 miles via 20 checkpoints which took
us about 5 1/2 hours. We travelled along the Dykes & crossed over the river on a ferry, where we stopped for a cuppa & Dutch apple pie. We were quite tired by the end, as we seemed to have ridden onto every grass verge every time we had our photograph taken. We did very well as we could have easily dropped the bikes. We finished in the town but there
wasn’t much going on. There was a DJ on the band stand & a couple of café. Around half a dozen went into Arnhem for the day & some went for a ride to the dealership.
The weather held out all day & was mild & cloudy with sunny spells in between.
Back at the camp we all seemed to congregate around the tables & chairs near the bar at the side of the pond. We met up with a crowd from the Bridgewater chapter to have a chinwag. Now there was one guy called Carl who fell asleep on his comfy chair. We proceeded to pile cans all around him. We even balanced one on his knee, one on his head & a plant pot complete with plant on his chest. Oh and we put lots of marshmallow
sweets up his nose & in his ears. He awoke with a start knocked all the tins all over himself & dropped the plant pot. Shame he hadn’t a clue what was happening. He then proceeded to try & get the marshmallows out of ears etc.

Saturday Night
We all proceeded to drink beer & check out the stalls. At this point we all dispersed and we all kept bumping into each other around the site.
The band eventually came on & they were great. They sang all sorts of rocksongs which got every body up dancing. The beer was flowing that’s if you had enough tickets left to buy one. Now again our safety officer went checking out the safety of the site. He can't remember what he was checking but he didn’t find any problem with the site apart from the
fact his chalet was not signposted very well, but Lenny found him eventually & escorted him back to his chalet.

Sunday
We all met up around 10.30 for the 11am ride or parade to the dealership in Amersfoort. Don’t know how many bikes there were but they recon around 1800 turned up. We set off all together with Trevor displaying our Hatters flag. We rode along the country roads out of the site to a road lined with people waving & cheering. The police escorted us all the way stopping traffic at every junction even the main dual carriageway to make sure we crossed safely. We found out the Police had trained some of the chapter riders to their standards & they now have a qualification & have the power to stop traffic on parades etc. They are issued with certificates & have an appropriate vest. Can't see our police doing that.
Now the parade was short it lasted for a mere 25 miles & all along the route there was someone waving. We kept going nearly all the way apart from a short bit before we got to the dealership. It was all very well organized with marshals parking the bikes up neatly so we could all get out. There was food laid on & a band. The shop was packed & they could have done with a few more tills. I think ever body bought something.
We met around 2.30 to gather for our trip home. Johan led us out & our first stop was fuel for our 75 mile ride back to the ferry. We had a few problems in the petrol station luckily Johan was at hand to translate.
We set off to nice weather but as soon as we got on the motorway it lashed it down. We had nowhere to stop to put our waterproofs on. By the time we stopped we were drenched. We were making good time so we had a coffee & put our waterproofs on. We arrived in plenty off time & checked on the ferry & we said our goodbyes to Johan. Shame he had to ride back in the rain.
First stop the bar then some has a buffet dinner which was very good & some went to the café. Again we all sat around reminiscing about our journey. I think most people were in bed by 12pm.

Monday
We all congregated outside the ferry & decided we were going to go to Squires café for breakfast. We set off around 8am & decided to fuel up straight away. We then continued to Squires café. Some shot off to get back home, but most off us had a breakie. When we arrived there were 8 cars ranging from a ford GTO to a Ferrari all going to Le Mans for a
rally. I asked if they needed a navigator but they all had one (I was sick I would have loved to have gone). After breakie some of us had a look round the bike shop.
Everybody left me all on my own as I decided to go the scenic route & ended up going to Colin Appleyards @ keighley then I went to skipton for some afternoon tea. I then went back via the A59 through Blackburn to bury.

Helen

A short report of the charity ride out some of the hatters did today.

Tree of life

The children’s adventure farm trust

Meeting at the dealership on what promised to be a wet day for the ride for the children’s charity starting from Tatton Park (Knutsford). Arriving around 11.00am at Tatton Park for a 12.00pm start the bike were slowing coming in to the car reserved for the bikes taking part in the ride out.
With the Hatters leading the ride we had the task of blocking the major junction at the traffic lights and 4 lanes of Chester road! , With a plan of action provided by Keith and expertly executed by the road captains, road marshals and other hatters drafted in to help it went very smoothly.
After a short ride we arrived at the Children’s Adventure farm trust, the trust looks after children with terminal illness, children who are carers themselves giving them a much-needed break, children who have been abused, the children get to stay in beautiful 13th century converted farm building were they make use of the many facilities, care for the animals they have on the farm.
Arriving to see two big marquees and the smell of burgers and sausages cooking, everyone pinned a £10.00 note to the tree of life and picked up their badge, bag and CD disc. Once this was done it was straight into the Burgers and sausages which has to be said were excellent and very tasty with free tea and coffee to wash in down with, the hatters were at home here everything they needed food and a brew, somewhere to sit and chat .The staff were very friendly and made us feel very welcome and kept topping us up with tea and food until it was coming out of our ears so did eat more than others (See picture of Keith after about 4 burgers) take no notice when he tells you it was me who ate them .We spent a couple of hours here before leaving for a ride over to Chester dealership ,we had been on the road for couple of minutes when it stared to rain heavy ,Quick change of plan and direction .We headed for the Stockport dealership for a wander round and a brew before
heading home in the rain.
The tree of life charity ride out was extremely well organised and run and did us proud at the end of the ride with the food and facilities I am sure this event will grow over the years.

Thanks to those hatters who turned out and helped

Paul

Matlock Bath Sunday 24/5/09

Meeting as usual at the dealership for a 10.30am start 17 bikes turned out for the ride to matlock bath, the group being left with a new member Richard leading the group and Aidan helping him out as Richard said he knew a good route over to matlock.
So with Richard leading and Aidan working hard to keep us moving by blocking roundabouts, Junctions ect we made steady progress along the route. The route taking us down the A6 on through poynton and down the silk road and up and over the cat and fiddle, stopping at the cat and fiddle for a brew and a rest, it's the first time in all the years I have been visiting here that it hasn't been blowing a gale and it was warm!
There was however a police speed trap at both ends of the cat and fiddle so it was down the other side and into Buxton and on to matlock.
Richard did a splendid job of leading the hatters into matlock where we stopped for 5 minutes to cool down YES! Cool down it was very hot day and the engines where hot and so were we. Aidan having other commitments had to leave the group here so I took lead and Norman took my job as tail gunner, we carried on into matlock bath! (Mistake number 1), it was total chaos traffic every where and at a stand still and once again the engines were getting very hot, we had to white line to get into matlock bath itself (mistake Number 2) no where to park it was jammed everywhere one last place left to try. Some of the hatters followed me into the main car park whilst other just parked where they could! If they had just followed me they would have got prime parking places as we had a small car park all to ourselves.
Spending around an hour and a half wandering around eating drinking and of course have the traditional ice cream, a few of the hatters decided to take an alternative route home whilst a few more said they where staying a bit longer. So with just 8 bikes for the journey home and with most being regulars we upped the pace so we could have a blast on the way home plus the quicker we went the cooler it was (poor excuse I know).
There where many new faces on the ride out which is great to see amongst those was Gillian who has just past her test in February who did ok on her first group ride out, It was a great day out in fantastic weather although the route was very busy at times its still fun to ride.

Thanks to Aidan, Richard & Norman

Paul

Hi,

Hope you're well, & managing to get out on your bike in all this beautiful weather we've been having! You may remember us from the Sturgis Tour presentation we did for the Hatters a couple of months ago.

Just thought we'd let you & your Chapter know that we can now offer a REDUCED Sturgis Tour. We've reduced the duration to 14 days, & of course we've reduced the price, too. I have attached the itinerary with more details, & wonder if you'd be so kind as to put it on your web site, & print a few copies off & stick it on the wall in the dealership where everyone can see it.

At the moment we only have the price based on 2 people sharing 1 bike & 1 room, but if any single riders are interested, please ask them to get in touch with us & we'll get a price for them.

Ride Safe,

John & Dot Johnston

Hadrian V-Twin Tours & Rentals (Formerly Hadrian Harley Tours & Rentals)
www.hadrianhdtours.co.uk
hadrianhdtours@aol.com

Hi

I am finding it difficult to find the words to express my thanks for the wonderful way in which you all received me and my friends yesterday at your meeting, but please believe me when I say that it was the most wonderful experience of my late life. As I said, although I have been a biker all of my life and am aware of the comradeship that exists between us all, never have I felt such warmth and friendship that I witnessed within your own Harley members. Please pass on my thanks to them ALL and particularly to all the Peters, Paul and of course Arthur who took me for my first ride on a Harley, Nneka tells me that the delight on my face was testament to my excitement and joy.

I have downloaded all of the video footage that Nneka recorded for my archive collection , so that I have it available to show to friends, and am in the process of editing it for a short video which I will be uploading to Youtube as soon as it is finished. I will let you know when that has been uploaded and send you a link to it if any of your members would like to see. I will of course wear the T shirt that you very generously gave to me and naturally will put a link to your website in the description box.

With very best wishes to you all.

Safe riding

Peter

2nd Message from Nneka
Hello Dear "Welsh" Pete, Paul, Arthur (who took Peter for his ride) & the rest of the Manchester HOG Club!!!

THANX A MILLION for the WONDERFUL and EXCITING day that Peter, my Mum and I had at your meeting yesterday. We had a BRILLIANT TIME!!! Peter asked me to thank you all once again and send his YouTube Link of this very "SPECIAL" day that he has just upoloaded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxGRz2x7cFk

You ALL made a Geriatric very very happy, he looked liked a little boy at Christmas!!!

We can't thank you all enough for your lovely warm welcome and hospitality!!! I'm sure that Peter will come and visit you again and I personally wish you all the very best and Happy 5th Birthday in September, 2009!!!

Very Kind Regards and Best Wishes,

On Behalf of Peter, Patty, Dave, my Mum Cecilia and myself,

Nnek@ ;o) xxx

3rd message from Reed

Hi
LOVED the footage on Youtube of Peter (Geriatric 1927). He's great, and you all were so thoughtful to arrange that event for him. I just had to write to say that. Best wishes to all the members of your chapter.

Reed Ide

Dear all,

I have been a member of the chapter now for two years this Sunday, it was only the second time I had a ride out with you, please can I thank all of you who made my partner and myself feel most welcome, the ride was great the hospitality second to none, the venue and people we met were top class, I think you will be seeing more of us and we look forward to taking part in the up coming events. Hail fellow well met!

Eric Stott (the big ugly one with the beard and the ancient Harley, we suit each other)

Could you please let all your members know that Registration for RTTW 2 went live at 11.20 pm last night.

Already there have been a number of people registering and it looks like the event will be well supported.Hopefully we will be able to get someone from every Chapter in the UK and Ireland to attend. May make a good photo shoot?

Registration and Merchandise can be found at www.rttw.org

Would it also be possible for your webmaster to put a link in to your websites. They may need to get in touch with the RTTW webmaster@contact@rttw.org

Many thanks

Martin Dickinson

The Dirty Hogs ride out

Saturday

Leaving the dealership at 9.00am with Keith & Meg leading the group down the M60 to Wilmslow to meet with the Dutch chapter at their hotel. Leaving at 9.30am with Keith & Meg leading the very large group of 47 bikes through Wilmslow and onto the motorway and into Wales .We travelled along a route which took in some fantastic road with great views and loads of twists and turns, it had been threatening rain all morning and just before our first stop it didn't disappoint us. The Dutch chapter where saying that the roads were superb and the views of the mist covered hills/mountains were stunning .So on with the wet gear before continuing on towards Anglesey riding along more great roads, before eventually crossing the meni straights via the Britannia bridge and onto the Gazelle pub for lunch a great place right over looking the meni straights. We where treated to a good spread to fill our now empty bellies it was now 2.00pm and some of us had been on the road
since 8.30 am.
When we went into the Gazelle it was raining as we came out it was beginning to clear up and dry out we even saw blue patches of sky here and there, with time getting on and we were running to a schedule we rode homeward via the A 5 -A 55 .We were supposed to be having a 10 minute toilet stop at Conway but with everyone enjoying the sunshine and the views and with some of the Dutch queuing to view the littlest house in Britain and looking at Conway castle, we were just thinking about moving when someone suggested having an Ice
cream .We soon found that the Dutch chapter have the same liking for ice cream as the hatters and soon there was a large queue so ten minutes turned in to around 40 .Leaving Conway later than expected we got onto the A55 towards Chester stopping one last time at Chester services before the short ride to Wilmslow .We Arrived at the hotel just after 6.00pm so the Dutch had a chance for a break and shower before dinner at 8.00pm where once
again we were treated to some food ,wine ,company before the presentations started . The Dutch thanked the hatters for their hospitality; they presented all the road captains and road marshals with their clubs patch, they went on to present the chapter with a superb hand painted plate which you must have a look at when it goes on display. Then it was more drinking and we were entertained by a singer, and drinking, socialising continued
until the early morning.

It was a cracking day out and a brilliant night, thanks to Keith & Meg for coming up with a brilliant route to ride, he put a lot of effort into the route so the Dutch got to see as much of the hills and mountains of Wales as possible and all the Marshals who help out over the weekend.

Sunday

A later start this time with 10.30am meet at the dealership then Keith leading the group to Wilmslow for an 11.00am start for those who stayed at the hotel, well we had to giver them time to sober up before riding and for the paracetamol to start working. Trev now at the helm we set for Hull once again with a large group of 40+ bikes we headed towards clitheroe and through Harrogate ,Knaresborough ,having stopped at MacDonald's in clitheroe
which turned out to be a hour or so stop instead a 15 minute break. We were now behind schedule and had to make up some time so the planned stop at Knaresborough was cancelled and we stopped later on in the afternoon when we were nearer to the ferry port having ridden once again along some brilliant roads with the scenery to match we arrived with only a few minutes to spare. Just having time to say our goodbyes ,Hugs Kisses etc before
heading home via the motorway.

It was a brilliant weekend enjoyed by both the hatters and the our Dutch friends, those hatters involved in the organising and running of the Dutch visit worked really hard to ensure it was a success and they didn't disappoint us or the Dutch they did an absolutely first class job.

Paul

Apologies For The Delay!!!

Fri 1st May
-----------
The weather was bright & the clouds were white & fluffy so no rain! WayHey.
I was first to arrive don’t know how on earth I managed that. (I must have wet the bed with excitement). As I sat there a small group arrived shortly after me. Then we had Rainy city arrive which caused confusion as there were several hatters that were rainy city members too so we got a bit of stick. We all had a good chat. By 10am most people had arrived.
A small group of hatters left first as they were going straight down.
Rainy city had a good turn out & they left next. We all got sorted & there were about 30 bikes in all so everybody was called on to Marshall.
We headed down the motorway led by Aidan. We were heading for breakie at the truck stop on the A49. Before he had even started Mark had a puncture so we lost a couple of riders who helped him out.
We set off & headed straight for the M54 motorway then onto M6/M5. Our next stop was Michael wood services were we had a coffee & fuel break. We left the services around 2.30 to meet the obligatory standing traffic around Bristol so we all ended up white lining to get through the traffic. Amazingly we all arrived together around 4pm. I personally covered about 255 miles & was quite relieved to arrive.

Evening:
Started when we arrived as most people dumped there bags & went straight to the bar. Over the evening other hatters arrived & everybody had a good chat. Supper was served in the dining room if you were in a chalet or in the café at the rear if you were camping. We had live bands until 12pm then the DJ came on for a couple of hours. The hatters all mixed & everybody caught up on the gossip. The club sold around 90 tickets for the rally & I think most of us were there the first night. There were
still a few hatters going until 2pm but they suffered the following day.
I do know our safety officer Mark took his duties very seriously and he works very hard. He was even working very late Friday night or should I say sat morn as I caught him at around 2am doing topple tests on all the
bikes. He went from one side to the other testing every bike by grabbing the bars or seat & giving it a push & he never set any alarms off.
Amazing! When I spoke to him the following day he doesn't remember a thing. Good job those bikes were strategically placed.

Saturday

most people were up in time for breakfast. Then it was time to get ready for the parade @ 11am. Some were washing there bikes of & getting the polish out. I don’t know how many bikes there were but I heard there was
over 600. We all lined up round the site. Most of the hatters were half way down the parade but about 20 of us were at the back with Rainy city behind us. The reason we were at the back was because 2 new hatters
arrived late Yes 2 pints Pete on his new 1200XR & Dave arrived with minutes to spare. Well we all set off & the sun was shining & the crowds lined the front as we pulled out of sands bay. There were a few hatters waving us off sat on the wall. I was at the back of our small group when I realized we were one missing. When I looked back new boy 2 pints Pete was in the middle of Rainy city so when we got stopped by the lights I ran back to Barry from Rainy City & asked if he had kidnapped Pete. I
said give him some Rainy City membership forms as he cant be a hatter he cant drink beer that’s why he is 2 pints Pete. I just shouted back to him & told to get his backside in front of me. I'm afraid we will have to keep our eye on him.
We eventually got round the streets of Weston & onto the grass verge along the promenade. We were all parked in line & people came to have a mooch round the bikes. Some of us went for a coffee or ice cream & some went for a stroll & some went for a spin on the bikes. I ended up in a pub watching the match with Rainy City. We were under orders to be back for the hatter's photo @ 3.30 so most off the hatters made it back.
4pm was the chapter games. Well these consisted of holding tyres on ones arms & off course Keith won that one for us even though our tyres seemed larger than everybody else's. We also had the going dizzy round a stick carrying water game & the builder's bag full of four people trying to jump to the finishing line. Well off course the hatters were the best AGAIN. So well done to everybody that took part & for their troubles we
got a trophy.
Then there was the bike show where again the hatters turned out in force. I think in all we had 5 bikes in the show & Paul Pinchard won best Tourer with his army themed bike. I think we should have won a couple more trophies but not to be. There were also stalls around the
site selling anything from sun glasses to Harley parts & clothing. The tattooist was busy & so to the photographer who had taken photos of every bike.

Sat Night
---------
The bands & singer was fantastic & they entertained the crowd all night.
We had the award ceremony & all we kept hearing was The Winners are The Hatters & every time the hatters responded with an almighty cheer. We just can't help being the best chapter can we. We picked up a couple of
trophies one for the Chapter Games & of course we won best attendance for the club. By the end of the night people were dancing & chatting oh & drinking a little. Now silly things were starting to happen.
Firstly 2 pints Pete had about 4 pints (he was still p*ssed after 2 but he managed to squeeze a couple more in). We decided to keep a wide birth when we saw him dancing, as we thought he had copped off. From a
distance we could not see who it was, when we got closer we found he had taken his brand new Harley Hoody for a dance. Oh dear what are we going to do with him. Luckily earlier on in the day we made him take the bright orange hoody he had bought back to the shop to swop it for a grey one.
Then a silly game started with Rainy City. We started balancing glasses & bottles up in a pile. I would have won apart from the fact the pile got too high & I could not reach the top. Then for some reason a plastic bottle bumped into the pile to bring it crashing to the floor.
Not satisfied with that we started again but decided to build a wall of glasses across the tables. It was very impressive until that came crashing down to the disgust of the staff so we decided to tidy up after ourselves. It was great fun for the average 10 year old. I think it was
around 2am before we retired but we did make sure the final hatters got on the mini bus back to town.

Sunday
------
We were all up bright & early NOT. I think we all made it for breakfast.
We then assembled for a leisurely ride out to the smallest prison in Britain in Castle Cary. It started out as a short trip but there had been an accident on the road which was totally blocked. So we diverted around it, which did take a little longer. The ride was excellent around small country lanes. One of the gang Cheryl was not feeling to good so a couple of marshals stopped with to check she was ok. We arrived at Castle Cary where we had a drink at the local. We all went up to the prison which was in the middle of the square. It was just big enough for one. We had our photos taken in front of the prison then it was back to the pub. The ride back was flowing & we kept a nice pace down the country roads. The weather held out for us & I don’t think we saw any rain.

Sunday Night
------------
We all met at the front of sands bay at 7pm ish. We had two mini bus trips of hatters which took us down to town for a Chinese meal. The food was excellent & the wine flowed. We got back to the camp to enjoy the Sunday night entertainment. Again the bands were good & everybody
mingled. Most people settled for an early night ready for the ride home.

Monday
------
There were not as many hatters on the way back as some people left early & some later. We set off to go and fuel up but we lost the 2 back markers. As we headed for the motorway we then nearly lost another new hatter as Dave nearly lost his helmet at the lights (helps to fasten it
before you set off) we lost the pack and it took us about 20 mins to catch them up. We stopped a couple of times at the services but we headed straight for home. Again we only saw a few spots of rain. I arrived home about 4.30.

Helen Lang

I visited Ken yesterday. He was in remarkably good spirits considering what he has been through. His injuries include 9 broken ribs, collapsed lung, broken collar bone, broken leg, broken arm and a severe injury to his foot due to his boot being ripped off during the accident. He has had his leg pinned and his arm is in plaster. He has yet to have his shoulder/collar bone set and is expecting to be transferred to Wythenshawe Hospital for a couple of days to have plastic surgery on his foot. Ken is presently in ward D2 at Stepping Hill and apart from going to Wythenshawe for a couple of days, expects to be there for at least another two weeks.

As Arthur said in his message about Ken, he was travelling north along the A6 to meet at the dealership for the 8Ball run when he was hit by a car coming out of a side road. The car hit him side on with such a force that it threw both Ken and his bike completely across the two southbound lanes of the A6 and Ken landed on the footpath on the other side of the road. Whilst his injuries are bad enough, he is lucky that it wasn't worse.

Ken is annoyed that he missed the spell of decent weather that we recently had and is looking forward to getting back on his bike.

Visiting times at Stepping Hill are 2pm to 4pm and 7pm to 8pm, although the nurse told me that any reasonable time avoiding meal times is okay.



Richard Kinsey

One of our members was involved in a Road Traffic Accident on Sunday morning on his way to the dealership to take part in the ride to the bbq at 8 ball custom paint in Derbyshire, his name is Ken Fox and he is in a bad way, broken leg, ribs, waist and a collapsed lung. Ken is in Stepping Hill Hospital Ward D2. PLEASE PASS ON THIS INFO VIA WEB NEWS. I visited him yesterday afternoon and he in a great deal of pain but cheerful, worried about his bike. - the accident wasn't his fault - a car pulled out between two parked cars.

Regards

Arthur Arrowsmith