Thousands of bikers take part in charity ride

More than 3,000 people have taken part in a motorbike ride to raise money for the Midlands Air Ambulance charity.

Six-year-old Teddy started the Bike4Life ride out in Shrewsbury on Sunday morning, with bikers then crossing the finish at Weston Park on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border, where a festival took place, attracting many more visitors.

Part of the A5 and M54 in Shropshire was closed for the 26-mile ride, which started in Meole Brace park and ride.

Emma Gray, chief operating officer for the charity, said it had been a fantastic day, and while it was difficult to put an exact number on how much had been raised, the team expected total donations to be in the "tens of thousands".

She added that it had also been important as a way to "connect with the community".

"This event is really important for us, because as a charity we don't receive any government funding," she said.

"We were founded 35 years ago by the community, which we still serve, and the donations raised today help our operations - where we have to raise about £20m each year for our fleet of three helicopters and critical care cars."

The festival at Weston Park included live bands, celebrity biking guests, food stalls and trade stands.

The charity said it responded to about four incidents involving motorcyclists each week.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.