This year’s Red Road Day charity bike ride event from Ride of Respect has been postponed from the original date of 27th June and will now take place on 12th September, with the aim to raise a whopping £250,000 for Frontline19; a free and confidential service for frontline workers.
Ride of Respect is an annual mass ride by motorcyclists to pay tribute to both our tri-service personnel and to the fallen and their families. The charity organisation was founded by Gravesend’s Julia Stevenson, who sadly announced recently that she will be stepping down from her role with the charity after 12 years.
The ride will see bikers taking off from Neil’s Café in Gravesend and traveling over 50 miles away to the beaches of Dungeness and Romney Marsh.
Having already raised £1,450, CommunityAd caught up with Julia who told us about her favourite memories with RoR…
Can you inform readers how the Ride of Respect was first founded?
After the Mother’s Day ride 2010 on 14th March to Wootton Bassett where 22,500 bikers came from all over the UK, France, Germany and America to pay their respects to Wootton Bassett for showing their respect to our fallen, on behalf of the rest of the country.
The biking fraternity wanted to thank all the wonderful residents of this little town that we were seeing on the national news of all our Fallen Heroes being repatriated through this town and the love and respect being shown by residents.
Blown away by the huge number of bikers that turned up to ride and the money that was raised that day in excess of £350,000, myself and friends wanted to have an annual ride to Wootton Bassett. I decided to call it the Ride of Respect and we have had a ride every year raising money for all different military charities.
How difficult has the past 16 months been for you through the global pandemic?
The last 16 months have been a nightmare as COVID took over and so many charities have suffered because we could not gather and ride. Bikers are renowned for all the charity rides we do and I felt like a caged bird in lockdown. I was climbing the walls at times as the Ride of Respect do three rides a year and so much organisation needs to be done to make sure the rides are safe and do not cause the public any problem on the roads.
On May 22nd we have the Lee Rigby memorial ride to Woolwich.
In June, we have The Ride of Respect to Royal Wootton Bassett.
Then on Remembrance Sunday we have The Ring of Red around the M25 London and M60 Manchester; both motorways form a circle, so we wear red on this day and form the world’s largest poppies.
Have you been surprised with how much support you’ve received?
The generosity of bikers always surprises me and we always have a very good turnout for the rides. Sadly, COVID-19 rules had to make us cancel our Red Road Day until September 12th where we are hoping to raise £250,000 for Frontline19.
You have raised an incredible amount for the NHS and frontline workers, can you put into words just how vitally important and wonderful these services are to us?
These frontline workers need help now, as they have been working under so much stress this past 18 months and their mental health is suffering. We are also encouraging the public to help us try and achieve this sum of money by donating to www.therideofrespect.co.uk Red Road Day. The NHS have always done the UK proud in the past with their care and commitment to others. It’s payback time now.
After recently announcing that you are stepping down from Ride of Respect, can you tell us what your most memorable moments have been with RoR over these past 12 years?
I have stepped down from the helm of the Ride of Respect and letting young blood in. The couple who have taken over are keen and will maintain the respect that we have earned from the authorities and the public to raise money and to make sure that every single penny donated actually goes to the people it’s meant for.
My last 12 years have given me so many wonderful memories including a call from HRH Prince Charles and a thank you letter from him, being in the cockpit of a Hercules and riding in front of one.
I’ve been invited to many charity balls including one at The Dorchester by “Care after Combat“ charity which Jim Davidson invited me to; what a fantastic evening I had and Jim Davidson is such a lovely caring man, I owe him so much.
I’ve been to Thiepval war memorial in France and invited to the summer Ball in Arras. I’ve been to so many bike rallies and shows and met so many genuine people that I now call my biking family. I’m humbled to have spent time with these people and very proud to call myself a biker.
Will you still be able to get on the bike for 1 or 2 rides a year?
I’m 73 now and will still be seen on my bike at many more rides to come.