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WIRRAL HARVEY DAVIDSON RIDERS & MAGGIE ' S CANCER CHARITY COME TOGETHER
Wirral Harley Davidson Riders ( WHDR ) are based on the Wirral and , as the name suggests , they ride Harley Davidsons . It ’ s a non-political club which places family and friendship above all else . They describe themselves as good friends who look after each other through the good and the bad times . This year , they ’ re raising money for cancer support centre Maggie ’ s . Ray Peters told us why …
" A Harley Davidson is more than just a motorcycle . It ' s a way of life , in fact almost a religion to some and of all the motorcycle brands , Harley Davidson is undoubtedly the most famous .
" There is no such thing as a typical Harley rider ; this club welcomes people from all walks of life . It is made up of every kind of person from aerospace engineers , gardeners , mechanics , health care professionals , civil servants and even serving military .
" Over the past four years WHDR have supported many charities including Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes and Macmillan Cancer Care , even raising money for New Ferry town after the horrific blast . This year we ’ ve done a calendar for Maggie ’ s who have been nominated as our chosen charity for 2021 . Let ' s hope 2021 lets us get back to hosting our annual shows and raising much needed funds for the causes we love . In the last four years the club has gone from strength to strength . Some people have come and gone , but the originals are still there and with a membership of nearly 40 riders and partners , it ’ s a well-established family ."
Maggie ’ s has been chosen after they supported one of the club ’ s longest serving members Eric (‘ The Viking ’). The calendar is available at a very reasonable fee of £ 10 with all the money going to Maggie ’ s . It ’ s been made possible due to the club ’ s strong links with the community and support from local businesses such as Susan C . Porter Independent Funeral
Services and JWA Motorcycles with photography and design by Phil Slessor , a great friend of the club .
Eric said : “ One summer evening in 2016 , l saw on the internet that a bunch of Harley riders were going for a ride around the Wirral . Having owned a Harley for many years , my wife and I decided to ride down and see what was happening . We met up with other Harley owners , had a good natter followed by a ride around the Wirral and I smiled every inch of the way . At a break in Parkgate for ice cream , we all swapped numbers and email addresses .”
" My wife , Sandi , who also attends club outings and social events , had no idea she had breast cancer and within two weeks had a routine mammogram , diagnosis following biopsies , and a single mastectomy at the beginning of the first lockdown .
" It was physically and mentally challenging for her , and a lot of other people will have struggled with a similar diagnosis .
" She phoned Maggie ’ s after finding their number in the information pack she had received at Clatterbridge Hospital . Struggling to cope it took her a while to ring them , but she was so glad she did , as they were so friendly and welcoming .
" Sandi attended a few socially distanced one to one sessions with a wonderful Specialist Cancer Nurse , and also had a session with a psychologist . The sessions and the experienced professionals she saw helped her so much . I now know they have helped other people connected to the club , and wish we could have gone ahead with plans to fundraise which were put on the back burner due to Covid-19 ."
For more information on WHDR and their fundraising calendar please email : wirralharleydavidsonriders @ gmail . com
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