Smiles all round as locals thanked for ‘fantastic’ Easter event

The charity, which provides a range of support to those in the area going through a time of crisis, organised for the Brother and Sister Bikers group to drive up North Street and park outside its office on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 6.

This was the culmination of a 100-mile trip the group did for the charity, raising money through sponsorship and collecting Easter eggs for the event.

Members of the Brother and Sister Bikers (Image: Sandra Rowse)

A range of refreshments, face paints and crafts were also set up to entertain people stopping by, plus the opportunity for a meet-and-greet with the Easter Bunny.

For those hoping to walk away with some prizes, a couple of competitions were running throughout the afternoon. There was a name the bear game and a raffle, both of which raised vital funds for the charity.

Maria Quaife, founder of SMILE, said in just one hour, the event raised £575 and had more than 100 Easter eggs donated.

She added all of the Easter Bunny meet-and-greet tickets sold out within the first hour, testament to the day's success.

Arianna Smith, six, Levi Smith, four, and Lyon Smith, four, with the Easter Bunny (Image: Sandra Rowse)

David Tyler, the charity’s office manager, said: “It was a fantastic day. It was lovely to see such a great turnout.

“Nobody was really sure how it would turn out, but as soon as the bikers turned up, we got quite a crowd.”

David said this was the first event SMILE has run since Covid, and the Easter “mini-fete” represented a return to organising outdoor events.

“This was us trying to get back to that form,” he added.

Around a dozen riders turned up in total, with David describing the group as “a pleasure to have”.

“We would all just like to say thank you to the Brother and Sister Bikers club,” he said, adding there are potential plans to organise another event together closer to Christmas.

Max Adams, 11, with biker John Andrus (Image: Sandra Rowse)

Maria extended her thanks to those who came and attended the event, and contributed towards the fundraising for SMILE.

“We would like to thank everyone who came down to see us today, the crowds were amazing,” she said.

“All children and adults behaved so well!”

Mila Bagley, two, and Elza Bagley, six (Image: Sandra Rowse)

Sydney Eakers, nine, and Emily Eakers, 10, with their faces painted and toy bear (Image: Sandra Rowse)

Peter O'Sullivan, Lynda Day and David Tyler staff from SMILE (Image: Sandra Rowse)