It was dubbed their Top Gear moment – a convoy of 11 vintage mopeds travelling the length of the country with riders in fancy dress.
No wonder Batman and Robin, Superman, Evil Knievel and Thunderbirds, together with a chicken, a bird and a zombie drew curious looks along the way.
All rode Honda C90 mopeds which they had bought solely for the four-day jaunt from Land’s End to John O’Groats and all chose two charities to raise money for.
Mike Harty, who was dressed as a parrot, made the 885-mile journey in memory of his dad Patrick who died four years ago.
He was a patient at St Ann’s Hospice and Mike is hoping to raise more than £750 for the charity and Children in Need.
Patrick’s sister Winnie Nelson is a volunteer at the hospice in Little Hulton.
Mike, who works at Air Products in Walkden, said: “I hadn’t ridden a motorbike for 22 years and the mopeds only reached speeds of around 30 mph. We tried to stay together but that wasn’t always easy, though we were lucky with the weather.
“A highlight was the look on everyone’s faces as we went through towns and remote villages. People would stop and stare, wave and take pictures as we went past blowing our horns.”
The idea for the trip came from colleague Phil ‘Superman’ Clarke. Pal Alan Bamber, from Chorley, went as a dog and was everyone’s best friend because his mechanical skills meant he could carry out running repairs on the mopeds.
The support van was driven by John Davies whose Thunderbirds outfit meant that International Rescue was never far away.
Air Products also donated £213 to St Ann’s as part of a health and safety fundraising scheme.
Other riders were: Craig Lucas (Evil Knievel); Graham Swansbury (Big Bird); Mark Hunt (Thor); Phil Ross (Zombie); Phil Winter (Robin); Steve Powell (Batman); Nigel Thorley (Chicken); Graham Cunningham (Captain America).
