Bike4Life has been organised for the past six years as a charity event to raise funds for Midlands Air Ambulance. It incorporates a mass ride from the outskirts of Shrewsbury to a festival at the RAF Museum at Cosford between Telford and Wolverhampton.

To participate in the ride out, the organisers ask people to pay a £10 registration fee, which includes admission to the festival. The registration desk was open from 8.30am, and the bikes were scheduled to leave at 11.30am. At around ten when I arrived, a steady stream of bikes was flowing into the car park, which was already a sea of two-wheelers, and a mass of rider humanity queued to confirm their registration or grab food and drink.

Bang on time a phalanx of cops, blood bikers and Steve Parrish led the multitudes way. It was an astonishing biker sight witnessing several thousand patiently waiting to filter out of the narrow exit road to join the convoy along the A5 and M54. Much of this has to be credited to the very effective organisation and stewarding, with volunteer helpers everywhere drawn from the air ambulance charity volunteer group, RAF Cadets, police cadets, and personnel from GMS Security one of the corporate partners.

Old bikes, new bikes, sports bikes, tourers, cruisers, Gold Wings, Harleys, off-roaders, trikes, sidecars. Every conceivable bike rider and pillion had turned out on a day when the morning sun pushed through hazy clouds and nudged the temperature into the low twenties. Spectators waited atop the bridges on the route, waving enthusiastically as the tide of thousands swept along the closed roads.

I'd waited until the last riders departed before stowing my camera gear and setting off. I tagged on to the tail end of the ride out as it approached the festival venue, where row upon row of bikes lined up on the wide grass spaces that one would associate with an airfield. An ideal location on this day, with a breeze cooling bodies as people divested themselves of hot riding gear and made their way into the festival site.

Understandably the air ambulance charity has a prominent presence at the festival. It's one of the most active in the country with around 2,000 call outs per year. Within their statistical records, road traffic accident stands out as the most numerous. They don't record motorcycle incidents separately, but we realise the risks involved in riding so it comes as no surprise that this vital service is one of the charities that motorcyclists like to support. As the West Midlands slogan states, 'Saving Lives By Saving Time'.

The festival site was entered by passing under the Bike4Life inflatable arch. Once inside there was the usual bike festival activity laid on, with interviews taking place on the main stage; including  Steve Parrish 'complaining' that he was limited to 55mph on an empty motorway. Parrish is one of the more humble and self-effacing 'celebs', so no surprise he is asked to speaking engagements in addition to his commentary work. The Midlands emergency bike paramedic crews got a deserved amount of attention too with their bikes parked alongside the stage. They also had James Toseland - his band was booked to play - Nick Sanders and Henry Cole lined up.

People lounged in the sun, surrounded the music stage, wandered the concession stalls. Queues for food and drink seemed endless but good to see they had laid on a variety of different cuisine including Afro-Carribean food and a tempting pasta stand; aside from the almost obligatory hog roast and burgers.

Congratulations to the organisers and the riders, as this year's event raised £63,500, which translates into 25 air ambulance missions. To put the success of this year's event into a very positive perspective, last year's fundraising total was £45,000.

Ride safe this summer. Make sure the air ambulance or indeed, any other ambulance, does not have to attend you.