Widows Sons Masonic Bikers will ride 1,834 miles to support Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Eight members of the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association are set to travel from Horndean to John O’Groats, then on to Lands End and back home to raise funds for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

The team is made up of organiser Trevor Hutcheson, Trevor Boswell, James Hutcheson, Andrew Scurr, Mike Roberts, Nigel Phillpot and Danny Fowles, who will be supporting themselves on the ride for fuel, accommodation and food - with every penny raised supporting the air ambulance.

Three-time heart attack survivor Trevor, who organised a 22-hour, 1,000-mile event last year, said: ‘It’s a charity that every car driver, hill walker and motorcyclist should get involved with because at the end of the day, they’re going to know someone who needs their support.’

Trevor, 60, was a catering director in Northampton when he had his first heart attack aged 45, then had a second when he lived in Portsmouth.

This was a major heart attack, meaning he needed six stents put in. However, 18 months later three failed which created his third heart attack, needing another three stents.

Trevor said the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Masons raised £7.75m at their last festival, and added: 'We try to do as much as we can for local charities, we do what we can to make life easier for everybody else.

‘The nurses and doctors at Queen Alexandra and Kettering Hospitals certainly made my life easier to the point where I can still ride motorbikes, keep playing with my grandson and work a full-time job.

‘They did a tremendous job, I have got nothing but admiration for the heart department.’

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Last year the group raised £8,000, with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance chief executive Alex Lochrane completing 60 miles with the group.

This year they have fellow Masons from all over the country riding parts of the mammoth trip to keep the team in high spirits and help gather more donations - with the total already standing at more than £3,600.

Waving the team off from Morrisons in Horndean at 5.30am on August 28 will be the chairman of East Hampshire District Council, Keith Budden and Rob Wood, Lord Mayor of Portsmouth.

With members’ ages spanning from 28 to 79, the Widows Sons will ride the 1,834-mile round trip over three days of 12-hour journeys, before returning to Horndean having hopefully raised thousands for the essential service.

Trevor, who has been riding motorbikes since 1976, added: ‘It’s quite a physical and mental challenge for all of us which makes it more substantial for the guys who are doing it. We're all up for it, we’re all trying to raise money, and every penny goes to the air ambulance.’

Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/thebigride2020 to donate.

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