THE coronavirus put paid to motorcyclists meeting up for fundraising rallies.

But that didn't stop one group of Swindon bikers raising £9,000 for the NHS.

Rob Kinch, Dave Pankhurst, Alistair Cobb and Andy Kay created the End of The Garden Rally Facebook page, selling embroidered patches, cups and plaques.

The initiative encourages bikers to set up their own 'rally' in their garden.

Andy, from Nythe, said: “Motorcyclists are one of the largest sources of fundraising for charities in the UK, be it national or local.

“This is normally achieved by attending rallies held over most weekends through the year.

“The purpose of a rally is to have a good time, listen to music, have a few beers and meet up with like-minded friends.

“We usually travel all over the country to attend these events and have always been welcomed.

“In doing so, each rally supports and makes donations to either a national or a local charity. With the outbreak of Covid-19 this is not happening.

“So, we came up with our own rally. The concept is to stay at home and hold your rally at the end of your garden.”

Members can send their pictures on Facebook to keep the community spirit alive.

Anyone interested can set up their own rally in their garden, whether they have a bike or not.

Andy added: “We’ve had some nurses who decided to participate and sent us their pictures.”

The group has so far raised £9,000 for the NHS, with a target of £10,000.

Alistair, from Eldene, said: “We are proud to have helped raise this money but the people who deserve the thanks and support are the bikers who have supported us.

“We have donated £9,000 to the NHS and a further £1,000 to the Blood Bikes, which provides a free out of hours service to the NHS as we heard they were struggling with funds.

“We will be donating a further £1,000 to the NHS to make it up to £10,000 and then we will be starting a new campaign to raise money for the Blood Bikes charity.”

Andy and his wife Tracy have been helping their local chemist Lloyds Pharmacy in Covingham by delivering prescriptions to those who need to stay at home.

For further information visit: http://endofthegardenrally.webstarts.com or their Facebook page