CHUF ride, July 2017

We had a dazzling collection of superheroes, including Thor, Batman, Robin, Batgirl, The Incredibles, Captain America, Superman, Captain Flash and Deadpool, all sharing a fantastic day of Geordie Chapter fun while we collected money for the Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead provided the stage for our family fun day and we had a superb collection of fancy dress and polished chrome ready for our early ride-out to the hospital.

Unfortunately, the weather prevailed once again and we set off in a slight drizzle, on the A1 towards the city centre. Capes flapped in the wind as we travelled the main arterial route of the city and passers-by could only marvel at the superhero spectacle before them. Our route wasn’t particularly arduous but the rain came down more heavily as we weaved through the city and landed at the hospital. CHUF kindly arranged for some of the children to come out and sit on our bikes and thankfully the weather cheered up so they could enjoy their time with us. We parked the bikes right up on the grass too, so that those who were too ill to come outside could see us through the glass.

Steve and Noeline presented one young lad with a smashing leather jacket, all decked out in Geordie Chapter patches, and he had his picture taken on their bike too. The young lad has been waiting for a heart transplant since January but he is very upbeat and brought a smile to all our faces. Someone asked where he would go if he could ride the bike anywhere – his immediate reply was simply, ‘home’.

We stayed at the hospital for about forty minutes then after some tearful goodbyes, we set off again for the main shopping street in the city, so we could rattle our buckets looking for further donations.

Landing back at the garage some time later our collecting continued with a tombola and raffle. Everyone has been incredibly generous again and, on the day, we collected more than £2,500 for CHUF. A special mention for Gary, our Treasurer, and his wife Alyson for their fantastic efforts in arranging it all for us.

GeordieHOG Editor