Their mission? To raise as much money as possible for industry charity The Theatrical Guild (TTG), the only charity dedicated to looking after the interests of backstage and Front of House personnel.
"2012 marks the third First Night Riders event and we're hoping to make it the most successful and fun ride yet," says organiser David Edelstein, who is a keen biker and managing director of stage engineering company Triple E. "It's important that we value the help charities like The Theatrical Guild provide. TTG is the only charity in the UK available to anyone who works, or has worked in theatre - backstage or front of house. The TTG is there for anyone from this industry who is facing financial difficulty or who wants to re-train to develop their careers.
"Today TTG's work is more vital than ever. It is important for us to raise the profile of this unique charity and support the help and advice it gives to men and women who work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry which is why it's such a worthy cause for the First Night Riders. Crucially, FNR needs as much help from the industry to raise much-needed funds for TTG's remarkable work - and we need riders to join the group and get sponsored!"
The 2012 ride is a four day event and open to anyone with a suitable motorcycle, bike and side-car or scooter. To register interest, visit http://www.firstnightride.com/page8.html. The ride starts on Friday 22 June, meeting at 8am to depart around 9am. From here the route is as follows:
Day 1: - Friday 22 June - Depart from the Royal Albert Hall towards Bristol. Take tour of Theatre Royal Bristol including complementary lunch, Theatre tour of Bath and supper courtesy of Rupert and Sue Rhymes.
Day 2: - Saturday 23 June - Plymouth Theatre Royal tour and complimentary lunch, visitTR2, Tours at The Globe Theatre Royal Marine Barracks and Hall for Cornwall.
Day 3: - Sunday 24 June- The Minack Theatre tour, Lands End sightseeing
Day 4: - Monday 25 June - Kings Theatre Southsea tour, Lunch in Guildford courtesy of Trina and Eric Oldham of Metool Reels.
Each rider should aim to raise at least £500 in donations to the TTG of which £100 is a non-refundable registration fee. The event is also open to riders on a daily basis, as FNR's understand not everyone will have the time for the full trip. The day rate is £125 of which £25 is a non-refundable registration fee.
The previous two rides have raised £21,500 for TTG. Can you help beat that in this third-time-lucky year?
One of the many examples of people who have had their life turned around thanks to The Theatrical Guild is Jessica Brettle. Jessica worked in wardrobe for 20 years where she developed a desire to create designs herself. With TTG's help, she retrained and subsequently became an award winning theatre designer. Jessica says, "without TTG's support, this would not have been possible for me. I will be forever grateful to them and value their help for making this happen."
President of The Theatrical Guild, Phyllida Law says, "We love the first night riders and their passion for raising money for our charity. It's vital that people from our profession make sure that those colleagues who may become vulnerable can be protected and supported".
First Night Riders is already generously supported by a number of industry associations and companies however this is not an exclusive club and there's always room for more!
(Jim Evans)
