“EVERY egg is a smile, so that’s 1,268 smiles.”
That’s the message from one of the organisers of the Berkshire Egg Run.
Every Good Friday, motorcyclists from across the county come together to ride through Berkshire before delivering easter eggs at a collection point.
This year, 341 bikers rode through Pangbourne and Whitchurch to deliver a whopping 1,268 eggs at Abbey Rugby Club.
The eggs are then handed over to the local rotary club before being distributed to disadvantaged families, adults and youngsters in the area.
Colin Hawkins, a Berkshire Egg Run organiser, told this newspaper: “Every egg is a smile, so that’s 1,268 smiles.
“People just think that the Egg Run is turning up and riding a route, but it's a lot more than that.
“I always have a sleepless night the night before, I always worry ‘is the sun going to shine?’, ‘are people going to turn up?’, ‘are we going to get enough eggs?’
“[In the end] we had 341 motorbikes. That's a 15 minute traffic queue of motorbikes.
“It's just amazing to think that people come out in those numbers and support what we do… you get a warm, fuzzy feeling afterwards.”
The Egg run came about after Colin and the co-organisers were inspired by the Reading Toy Run, which sees motorcyclists come together to donate gifts at Christmas.
“Around 16 or 17 years ago, we decided that we'd start an Egg Run at Easter”, Colin said.
“And from small beginnings it grew and it is what it is today, which is quite successful.”
The 1,268 eggs did not only come from bikers, but also from local companies including Toby Carvery, Sident Dental Systems, Boehringer Ingelheim and more.
Colin paid tribute to the dozens of people who helped to donate so many chocolate treats to disadvantaged families across Berkshire.
He added: “Our thanks to everyone who waved, supported and took part.
“We can't do it without people waving us by on the streets, the car drivers stopping with goodwill and waving us through, everybody plays their part.
“It’s a real big team effort.”
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