Hundreds of motorcyclists join ride for charity

Hundreds of motorcyclists have raised more than £19,000 as part of a worldwide campaign to promote awareness of men's mental health.

Bristol's Distinguished Gentleman's Ride set off on Sunday with a squad of more than 350 riders.

They started their journey in Winscombe before ending in Saltford.

Participants were invited to wear dapper clothing and ride classic and vintage motorcycles to raise funds on behalf of Movember.

Movember, a men’s mental health organisation, aims to achieve universal and realistic outcomes for men's mental health and prostate cancer.

The charity said suicide remains the biggest killer of men aged 20-39 worldwide.

It said prostate cancer was the most common type of cancer in men.

Sean Good, 47, has hosted the ride in Bristol and Bath for the past 11 years.

Mr Good said he understood the importance of mental health after serving 16 years in the Royal Engineers, with tours of the Balkans, Bosnia, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said: "I've seen the sharper end of mental health struggles, and as a biker, even if I didn't realise it at the time, that was my own sort of therapy."

Mr Good said the ride had grown substantially since the first event he organised in 2014, which was attended by 15 people.

Speaking of the attire, he said: "Motorcyclists a lot of the time have this certain image.

"That was the idea about getting dressed up, to break that stereotypical mould.

"Men are renowned for not talking, not sharing.

"But when you get a group of likeminded people like that together, working towards a common goal, it resonates with you."

The Bristol Distinguished Gentlemen Riders managed to raise £19,437 of their £20,000 goal.

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