Toy Run brings the fun

Motorbikes, toys, tinsel and plenty of goodwill were on display at the annual Toy Run on Saturday.

Now in its 39th year, the event is organised by the Nelson branch of the Ulysses Club.

Organiser Allan Smith says 158 bikes took part. On their journey from Richmond to Nelson, the riders collected new toys and donations for the Salvation Army, which will help those in need at Christmas.

“It was superbly supported; the public came out and there were lots of horns tooting,” Allan says.

“The bike decorations were great, and two or three riders were spectacular with their dogs riding along, including a silver husky sitting on a trailer at the back. There were some very creative riders.

“We also had Nelson Mayor Nick Smith in the ride on Honda 125cc provided by Tasman Honda.”

The collected toys will soon be distributed to families by the Salvation Army in time to spread some joy on 25 December.

“We had a huge tarpaulin laid out with all the toys and it was a pretty big pile,” Allan adds.

“The diversity of the toys was excellent and lots of different age levels were catered to.”

Funds were also raised through a raffle and collections on the day, and Allan says while they are still tallying up the total amount, he hopes it will match or exceed last year’s total of $1300.

But the biggest plus on the day, according to Allan, was the sunny weather.

“In the 29 years we have looked after the ride we have only had rain on two occasions.”

He’s hoping for another sunny day in 2025 when the ride will celebrate its 40th anniversary.