14 buzzing pictures of Bike4Life 2025 as thousands of motorcyclists roar through Shropshire
The county's roads thundered with the sound of thousands of motorbikes as riders from across the West Midlands and beyond came together for this year's Bike4Life Ride Out and Festival.
The annual event in aid of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity once again attracted thousands of bikers and pillions to the roads in Shropshire on Sunday (July 20).
A 26-mile convoy of more than 3,500 motorbikes set off from Meole Brace in Shrewsbury, riding to the home of the Bike4Life Festival at Weston Park near Shifnal.
The huge convoy was waved off by seven-year-old former patient, Rory Brown, from Stoke-on-Trent. The youngster was treated by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity personnel for a broken leg after falling off his motocross bike in an accident on September 1 last year.
Large crowds gathered on bridges along the route to wave and capture pictures of the convoy. And outfits worn by riders, that included cartoon characters, delighted those watching on.
Now in its 13th year, the mass charity ride-out is one of the UK’s most-popular and biggest ride-outs and bike festivals, and is the biggest annual fundraiser for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, whose crews attend two incidents involving motorcyclists a week on average.
Last year, a record-breaking £132,700 was raised through the event, funding more than 87 future lifesaving missions for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.
A host of celebrity bikers featured in Sunday's event including one of the most successful World Superbike racers of all time, Carl Fogarty MBE.
Others included former professional motorcycle racer in the British Superbike and World Superbike Championships, James Whitham, former motorcycle and truck racer Steve Parrish, seven-time motorcycle trials world outdoor champion Dougie Lampkin, stars of TV’s Emergency Bikers Mark Hayes and Steve Harris, and dancer, DJ, media personality and member of the rock bands Happy Mondays and Black Grape, Bez.
The festival also included live bands, food traders and entertainment.
The event that used major roads including the M54 and A5 was organised in collaboration with West Mercia Police and National Highways. Motorists in Shropshire were advised to allow extra time for journeys while the event took place. Traffic restrictions were in place from 10.20am, and for up to two hours, while the huge convoy passed through
