Club's rallying cry to scooter riders

A SCOOTER club is calling on enthusiasts to fire up their Lambrettas and hit the road to join them at a rally in Chipping Sodbury.

This year Yate and Sodbury Scooter Club is hoping hundreds of riders will join ride around the district which is one of the highlights of their three-day festival in June.

The club was founded by Andy Davis and his brother-in-law Kevin Milford in 2016 via a Facebook page.

Now it draws enthusiasts from across the region to events.

Andy said many members were like them – people who were returning to two wheels after many years away.

He said: “We both had scooters when we left school, and grew up, having families and cars and the rest.”

Andy was originally unsure if the club would get much support but he said: “As word spread it was surprising how many older guys have old Lambrettas and Vespas, tucked away in a garage for the past 25 years, and haven’t used them for a while but would love to use them back on the road.”

Throughout the last few years, Andy and Kevin have run multiple events, raising more than £6,000 for local charities. The pair started out with music events at local venues where they raised £350 for Bristol Children’s Hospital. The second event raised £630.

In 2019, they started running soul nights, and in 2022 held their first scooter rally.

This year’s rally takes place at Chipping Sodbury Rugby Club from June 16 to 18, and features bands including The Corsairs and the Sex Bristols.

Andy said: “All profits from our events go to charity and as a club we have raised and donated over £6k in the last few years.

“This year’s event plans to be bigger and better than last year, with three live bands on both Friday and Saturday.”

The event will include a 'ride out' on the Saturday lunchtime, where scooter riders will go in convoy around local villages and through Chipping Sodbury High Street.

As well as running charity events, the club meets for regular catchups where people with an interest in scooters can talk, eat and ride around together.

The club is very inclusive and is always looking for more members. Weekend tickets including camping are £25, and day tickets are £15.

You can find out more about the club and the event by emailing Andy at ad.davis@btinternet.com.