Memorial ride for Lee Rigby, Scott Hetherington and the Manchester 22 will go ahead this weekend

Bikers and scooter riders will once again come together on Sunday (11 July) to remember Middleton soldiers Lee Rigby and Scott Hetherington, and the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena bombing.

The memorial ride was first organised to honour the memory of 25-year-old Fusilier Rigby after he was brutally murdered while off duty outside the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south London on 22 May 2013.

His killers, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, were sentenced to life in prison in December 2013 after they were found guilty of his murder.

Started just one week after the tragic death of Lee by Gavin Vitler in 2013, the annual ride usually takes place on the Saturday in May closest to the anniversary of the fusilier’s death. The ride has been pushed back for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gavin said: "After the first event, I decided that this must be an annual event to remember a fellow Middleton lad. Working with an amazing team of volunteers, we then added a memorial service for Scott Hetherington, another Middleton soldier, and more recently the memorial for the victims of the Manchester bombing.

"We do this to remember the loved ones and no matter what happens the people will come together in shared grief and support for the families."

A change from the usual Rochdale Town Hall starting point, which is closed for renovations, the memorial ride will set off from Rochdale Sports Club – Bridgefold Road, Rochdale OL11 5BX – this weekend.

Participants are encouraged to assemble at 9am on Sunday, ready for the convoy to depart at 11am.

Riders will journey through Heywood to Bowlee into Middleton and Limefield Park, stopping to pay their respects with a minutes’ silence at the Lee Rigby memorial at Middleton Memorial Gardens.

The convoy will then head to the Manchester Arena bombing memorial in Victoria Station, where another minutes’ silence will be held.

Organisers have said the ride is a learner friendly route for all motorcycles and scooters.

 

 

The Manchester Arena bombing took place on the fourth anniversary of Fusilier Rigby’s death, 22 May 2017, killing 22 innocent people at the Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande concert. Almost 1,000 members of the public were injured in the terrorist attack.

Lance Corporal Scott Hetherington, 22, of the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, died on 2 January 2017 after a tragic accident in the town of Taji, north west of Baghdad, Iraq. 

The Middleton soldier was buried with full military honours at Boarshaw Cemetery.

The memorial ride on Sunday marks the eighth anniversary of Fusilier Lee Rigby’s death, and the fourth anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing.

Money raised from the ride will go towards the Lee Rigby Foundation (reg charity no 1166794) which provides a support network for military families.

 

 

A truck naming in memory of Fusilier Rigby will also be held at the starting point (Rochdale Sports Club) on Sunday at 10.30am before the convoy departs at 11am. A HGV Class 1 training vehicle belonging to Veterans into Logistics will be named in memory of the fallen soldier.

The naming ceremony will be attended by Lee's family, the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Mayor of Rochdale Councillor Aasim Rashid, along with Chris Clarkson MP and other dignitaries.

The training vehicle will be used to train unemployed ex-military personnel into becoming HGV drivers and into new careers.