A MOTORCYCLE club from Caldicot have stepped into the saddle to fill the void left by the cancellation of a much-loved mass ride for charity.
Hoggin' the Bridge has been a fixture on the calendar of bikers from Monmouthshire and beyond for years - with hundreds of weird and wonderful bikes being ridden en masse across the M48 Severn Bridge.
In 2020 and 2021 the event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
The event used to culminate in Chepstow, with the town centre becoming a sea of leather and steel, but in recent years was moved to Chepstow Racecourse and then Caldicot Castle.
Now, it has been cancelled altogether.
All is not lost for the region's bikers though, thanks to Caldicot Motorcycle Club.
Club secretary Dawn Jones said: "Hoggin' the Bridge has been a huge part of the biker community for many years.
"Due to reasons we have not been told, it has fallen by the wayside and we were all disappointed."
At its height there would be more than 6,000 bikes involved.
"This year there is no Hoggin'," Ms Jones said.
"Not on our watch. Our club have decided to do the run anyway."
The club have recently conducted a dry run of the proposed route for the ride.
"Hoggin' was always bikers Christmas, we couldn’t let it die without a fight," Ms Jones said.
"The younger ones love to high five the bikers going past. Having ridden it and been a spectator I understand the buzz it gives people.
"Riding it was a great feeling, bikers don’t always have a good rep and its lovely to feel so welcomed."
The Tribute to Hoggin' ride will be leaving Aust Service Station as usual on Sunday, October 8.
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