Get revved for annual toy run

Riders, start your engines and get ready for the 20th annual Durban National Motorcycle Toy Run which ends in Amanzimtoti on Sunday, 26 November.

Motorcycle enthusiasts can show off their metal in an incredible mass charity ride leaving the Pavilion Shopping Centre’s top parking area at 9.30am sharp.

For just a toy as an entry fee, riders will be part of the second largest such event in South Africa, after Johannesburg.

South Africa holds the world record and has broken the Guinness Book of Records for the largest number of motorcycles in one place, and the biggest charity toy run in the world.

The Durban Toy Run ends at the Amanzimtoti Sports Centre, where there will be fun live entertainment for both adults and children, market stalls, and a president’s auction, where the club president who raises the most money gets to choose a local children’s charity to which to donate the entire amount.

“What better charitable cause than our children,” said chairman of Sapphire Coast Tourism, Romy Wentzel. “We are ecstatic that the toy run finishes in Amanzimtoti once again. It is a fantastic initiative which immensely benefits the local community. It is a win-win situation for everyone – local businesses and the hospitality industry, riders, the public and most especially the children,” she said.

During last year’s toy run, Wentzel was overwhelmed to see bikers with teddy bears gearing up for the event. “Bikers usually have a ‘tough guy’ image, and to see them soften up for such a cause was simply heart-warming,” she said.

According to Lesley Boes, organiser of the Durban Toy Run, more than 8,000 bikers participated in the 2016 edition, raising around 7,000 toys for underprivileged children for Christmas.

These toys were distributed across various children’s charities including CHOC, Dare to Dream, Bobbi Bear, Queen of Peace, Ethelbert Children’s Home, Malvern Children’s Home, Thousand Hills Kids for Christ, Peacehaven Crisis Care and Durban South Lions on behalf of their special Projects for the Blind.

For further information on the toy run, contact Les on 083-487-6846 or Jo on 072-648-5572.