A SCHOOL bike festival is returning – with pupils expecting a bigger turnout than ever as they work to raise funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
This will be the fourth Bike Fest run at Outwood Academy Shafton, with pupils and staff raising £6,000 for the charity over the previous years.
Now though, they’re hoping to go bigger than ever, and almost double their total as they try and raise £5,000 over the course of the day.
Teacher of design and technology Christopher Rooke, who helps organise the festival, said: “It started before lockdown.
“I had a friend bring a scrap motorbike into school for our engineering class. He pulled apart the engine for them all to see, and they asked if they could build it back up.
“At first he said no, because of the price he could get from scrap, but eventually he agreed.
“The kids came up with the idea of doing a bike show, so I talked to the school and saw if it was something we could do.”
Pupils invited people to bring their bikes to school grounds, and all together around 50 or 60 bikes appeared on that first night.
Last year, there were 300, with Christopher hoping to keep up those numbers this time round.
There will also be seven awards given out, voted for by judges and pupils alike.
“All the pupils get behind it,” he added. “The charity committee at school help out – pupils with the help of staff marshal each point, some run the stores and bake cakes.”
The event will take place next Saturday (July 6).
