THIRTY dapper gents and ladies hitched up their Tweed as they tore through the Cotswold quiet in aid of men’s health charities.

Motorbike riders came from as far away as Stratford-upon-Avon for the 15-mile jaunt from the Kemble Airfield to Cirencester, which has already raised £3,500 for charity.

Riding classic and vintage motorbikes, these riders were the very opposite of Hells Angels.

They rarely got above 40 miles an hour – and all were kitted out in their finest Tweed jackets and bushy moustaches.

The two-hour potter through the Cotswold countryside was one of a string of rides happening in countries across the world for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.

The international scheme has so far this year raised more than £4million – with almost 91,000 riders registered to take part in rides all over the globe.

All of the money raised from the rides will go to the Movember Foundation, a charity aimed at tackling prostate cancer and male suicide.

According to the charity, men account for three in every four suicides. They estimate that globally, one man takes his life every minute.

The NHS say that prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men, with 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

The Cotswolds ride was the first time the Distinguished Gentleman’s ride, which is in its sixth year, has come to the area.

The 15-mile jaunt was organised by Swindon-based dealers Blade Motorcycles.

Ed Pole, 27, an aftersales manager at the firm’s Elgin Drive store, said the riders enjoyed a “fantastic” day.

“It was really cool,” said Ed, who was riding a box fresh Triumph Bobber motorcycle. “People were looking at us for all the all the right reasons – smiling at people fully suited with moustaches, wearing open-faced helmets.”

The group, which also counted a number of female riders amongst its 30 motorcyclists, drove from Kemble Airfield to Cirencester.

Stopping outside the church, they gave astonished passers-by the chance to look at their classic bikes – as well as speaking to them about the health causes they were riding for.

All of the riders were dressed to the nines in their tweed finery. But one of the best dressed was Ed’s own father-in-law, who he says was wearing a “waistcoat and full tweed suit”.

A worker in Blade motorcycle’s Stratford shop was armed with a “massive fake moustache”, Ed said, while an armed forces veteran had come equipped with a specially-adapted trike.

Blade Motorcycles plan to run the event again next year.

For more about the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, visit: www.gentlemansride.com.