Our third Bikers Breakfast event was another big success on Friday 12th May 2023! We kicked off the event by hearing from our sponsor, Westcotec. Westcotec has been at the forefront of the vehicle-activated sign industry since 2001. Based in the centre of Norfolk, they have grown to become one of the biggest suppliers of quality vehicle-activated signs in the UK. They have another busy year ahead exploring new exhibitions showcasing the importance of road safety with their road signs and bespoke projects. Chris Spinks, Managing Director of Westcotec and former Police Chief Inspector, has a real passion for road safety. Chris qualified as a Serious and Fatal Collision Senior Investigating Officer Roads, and using his experience allows him to assist clients with collision hotspot solutions and other road safety schemes. “I am so grateful to the Norfolk Chambers team who support us on our events. It is so important to raise awareness for road safety and work together with all Norfolk businesses,” said Chris Spinks. We were delighted to be joined by Gary Stevens (Funding & Marketing Manager), and Rebecca Bushell (Funding & Marketing Officer) of Nelson’s Journey, a charity that is a close partner of Westcotec. Since 1997, Nelson’s Journey has been supporting children and young people in Norfolk with their bereavement needs, helping them to understand and cope with their feelings. The charity also supports professionals in the county who work with children, such as teachers and health workers, to help raise awareness of issues affecting bereaved children. As the charity celebrates its 25th year Gary Stevens and Rebecca Bushell shared the many options and ways how businesses and individuals can support the charity, from volunteering and fundraising to selling their products. The charity works closely with Hill Top to provide well-being days for children. All the funding the charity receives goes straight back into the services they provide. “We are incredibly grateful to Westcotec and Norfolk Chambers for the support for the charity, it is wonderful to see a breakfast event filled with positive energy and meeting new businesses along the way,” said Gary Stevens. Following these two fantastic speakers, the delegates were served a delicious full English breakfast from our hosts Barnham Broom. Next, we heard from Andy “Billy” Lawyer, Andy Micklethwaite and Iain Temperton from Safe Rider. Safe Rider is a joint initiative between Norfolk Constabulary and Norfolk County Council which aims to reduce motorcycle casualties. Billy expressed how proud he is to work at Safe Rider. He spoke about the importance of having tools that encourage riders to learn and process and, more importantly, be safe. Billy has taken part in being a team leader for the King’s Coronation and The Queen’s funeral. We were delighted to then be a part of a special surprise presentation to Andy Micklethwaite. Safe Rider was originally instigated and developed by Andy who has continued to be part of the safe rider team ever since. Iain Temperton, a Road Safety specialist, presented photos and key moments from Andy’s career and his values for Safe Rider. “We want to carry on the next 25 years by creating events to support and promote the community,” said Iain Templeton. We were then joined by Paul Sanford, the Chief Constable of Norfolk Police, who then presented a special recognition award to a shocked and surprised Andy! Paul Sanford expressed his gratitude and said that Andy’s work has saved lives on Norfolk roads. Paul continued that he is hugely proud of Andy’s work and achievements. We were shocked to hear when Paul highlighted the second biggest killer in Norfolk after suicide is road death. Our final speaker was Simon Weir, former editor of Ride Magazine and Journalist of Motorcycle travel books. Simon showcased his new book on holiday travel plan of Europe, where he starts off in France with amazing views across the country. He then moved on to Austria where he saw some of the best mountain passes, and he highly recommended Marziell. He then went onto the home of the Italian Job! Finally, he finished in Spain which is full of great riding routes and stunning scenery. Simon Weir said “Thank you, Tim James (Westcotec). It is a real honour to be a part of the Bikers Breakfast this year, this event highlights the importance of road safety and what brilliant business’ there are here in Norfolk.” We’d like to say a huge thank you to the team at Westcotec for supporting this event and once again raising awareness of road safety across. our county. Tim James, Design and Development Engineer said “As a long-term supporter of Safe Rider and Andy Micklethwaite, it was a privilege to be able to help arrange the surprise presentation. That we could also celebrate 25 years of Nelson’s Journey, and raise money for them, is the icing on a particularly enjoyable cake.” Due to the weather, we unfortunately were unable to close the event with a bike ride to the Norfolk coast, however, we hope to host a tour this summer. A big thanks go to our stand holders Nelson’s Journey, Norfolk Riders Rospa group and Safe Rider.
