Princetown bike night brings hundreds to Dartmoor for charity event
The first bike night at Princetown Fire Station brought hundreds of bikers to the Dartmoor village, creating a lively evening of motorcycles, music and fundraising for charity
A motorcycle social event organised by Princetown Fire Station has raised £1,300 for The Fire Fighters Charity after hundreds of bikes descended on the Dartmoor village on Saturday.
A first-ever ‘bike night’ was held at Princetown Fire Station on Saturday 22 August, attracting around 300 bikes and a turnout that organisers said far exceeded their expectations.
The event was held to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity, which supports members of the fire service community and their families.
Simon Wallace, a firefighter at Princetown Fire Station, told The Moorlander that the team had been surprised by the scale and success of the gathering.
“We were simply blown away by the support and are so thankful to the biker community. They are an amazing bunch,” he said.
Wallace said the atmosphere throughout the evening had been “simply amazing”, with live music, good weather and a large gathering of bikers creating a friendly and positive atmosphere.
One exchange during the evening particularly captured the spirit of the event.
Wallace said that, while speaking to someone about how the organisers had not expected such a strong turnout, the person simply replied: “It’s bikers and charity.”
Comments from those attending praised the turnout, atmosphere and organisation, with several people saying they were looking forward to returning for another event.
Riders travelled to Princetown from different directions for the event, with attendees praising the ‘superb ride-out’ to the moorland village.
A final count confirmed that £1,300 was raised for The Fire Fighters Charity.
The charity thanked the organisers for their efforts, describing the night as “another fantastic event”.
“A brilliant idea, beautifully brought together, and you should all be incredibly proud of what you achieved. Thank you from us all at Fire Fighters Charity for your continued hard work and support,” a comment read.
Wallace said the organisers had received numerous offers of help, ideas and suggestions about how the event could be developed.
“We are already planning for the next one and can’t wait,” he said.
The bike night’s success comes just a few months after Princetown Fire Station's charity 10K run, which raised more than £4,000 for The Fire Fighters Charity and attracted nearly 200 runners.