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Charity Ride 2009 Report
British National Parks Ride



Report
The idea for this ride came as I lay in hospital in November 2008 following a motorcycle accident in which I broke my right femur. I was flown to the hospital in Coventry by the air ambulance and I had been surprised to later find out that the air ambulances of Britain are supported entirely through charitable donations, with no monies coming to them from government or even the national lottery. I decided to start the ride as a means of trying to at least raise the cost I had put them to - around £1200 for an hour's flight. 

Many thanks to all of you who supported this initiative and took part in the National Parks Ride. The ride was signed up to 80 riders, of whom 50 visited at least 5 parks which gained them a certificate. There were altogether 625 parks visited by 57 riders. Of those who completed a ride and gained an award, 27 gained a Gold Award by visiting all fifteen parks; 8 gained a Silver Award by visiting at least ten parks; and 15 gained a Bronze Award after visiting at least five parks.

Two riders completed Challenge rides – one, Daz Rogerson, visiting all fifteen parks in one ride for a Gold Challenge Ride, while Ray Walton managed eight parks to complete a Bronze Challenge Ride.

Looking at the statistics of those who completed a ride, BMWs were the most popular bike with 19 riders, followed by Honda (13), Harley-Davidson (7), Triumph (4), 2 each for Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, and 1 AJS (although the rider also rode a Honda at times!).

Most importantly you helped to contribute to the total of £2395 raised for the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance. This money came from the donations given by entrants – some of whom were very generous in giving far more than the suggested minimum of £15. It was also contributed to by extra money raised along the way by several riders, in particular Dave Badcock, Bev Muizelaar and Mike Topham; and also by some monies from the first Brit Butt Light which took place in July. This was made up of a donation from IBA UK and a small surplus made on the event from entry fees. Many thanks to all of you who have helped support the work of this service which all too often has been used by motorcycle riders in particular.

I hope you all enjoyed your rides – I have had many emails and letters from entrants who have been able to discover parts of Britain they had not been to before and talking about roads they have discovered in the process. I have put together a new ride for 2010 with a different theme and hope many of you will feel able to take part and enjoy visiting some other parts of Britain next year.

Statistics
Number of riders entered: 80 riders
Number who completed an award ride: 50 riders
Number who visited at least one park: 57 riders
Breakdown by award:

Gold	Silver	Bronze
27	8	15

Breakdown by bikes ridden:

AJS	BMW	Harley-Davidson	Honda	Kawasaki	Suzuki	Triumph	Yamaha
1	19	7	13	2	2	4	2

All 57 riders visited 625 parks altogether
and a total of £2395 was raised for the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.
A list of all riders who completed an award can be found on the Completed Rides page. Some riders have written about their experiences on the National Parks Ride - thse can be found by following the links attached to their names on that page.

Photographs
(A selection of photographs from all entrants)