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The First Night Riders
The First Night Riders is the name for a new motorcycle charity ride taking place for the first time in 2010. We are going to undertake a round Britain tour of new, interesting and historically significant theatres around the UK. The start will be from the National Theatre in London, and finishes eight days later at the Hampstead Theatre. The aim is to raise funds for the work of the The Theatrical Guild www.ttg.org.uk.The ride is being organised on behalf of the TTG by David and Brenda Edelstein with Jason Barnes who has been responsible for route planning and co-ordinating the theatre visits.
The ride dates are the 5-12 June 2010 and on Friday 4 there will be an evening event that will include the riders' briefing. The event is timed to be before the TEAC (Theatre Engineering & Architecture Conference) which takes place from 13-15 June. The ride will depart on the morning of Saturday 5 June from the National Theatre in London.
The event is open to anyone with a suitable motorcycle, bike and side-car or scooter. Vehicles should have at least a 100 mile range to minimise fuel stops. Each rider will need to raise £1000 in sponsorship to TTG of which £100 is a non-refundable registration fee. The event is also open to riders on a daily basis as the organisers realise that not everyone will have the spare time for the full trip. The day rate is £150 of which £15 is a non-refundable registration fee.
Each rider will be responsible for their own petrol, food and accommodation costs, however group discounts are being negotiated along with special deals to minimise the expenditure. It is hoped that a number of the places being visited and sponsor companies will provide hospitality and assistance along the way. (See sponsor's page on the website for the current listing.)
There will be at least one chase vehicle taking part to follow the ride. The chase vehicle is important, as it carries cold water for the riders at fuel stops, carries the luggage you don't need during the day and suitable refreshment on arrival at hotels etc. Robert Hamilton and Scott Miller are two theatre consultants based in Vancouver. They have driven chase car for all six of the American rides and are providing the same support for the UK ride. Their involvement is greatly appreciated.
The event takes its inspiration from the American charity ride which over the course of six annual trips has now raised over $200,000 for two charities, Broadway cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Behind the Scenes.
The ESTA Foundation's Behind the Scenes program offers grants to technicians who, through illness or injury find themselves in crisis which is also the goal of The Theatrical Guild in the UK.
24th March 2010
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