HUNDREDS of bikers showed their softer side as they delivered Easter eggs to children spending the bank holiday in hospital.

Around 700 bikers took part in the Easter Egg Run to deliver thousands of chocolate eggs to youngsters at Darlington Memorial Hospital and Durham University Hospital today (Sunday, April 5).

The annual event was organised by Hartlepool biker Tony Hudspith who revived the event last year after Durham Police – who had run it since 2005 – said it no longer had the resources to continue organising it.

Mr Hudspith said he was delighted with the turnout and thanked the volunteers and marshals who ensured the event went smoothly.

“It is just fantastic to see everybody out here – everybody has really pulled out all the stops,” he said.

“It brings the biking community together to do something really worthwhile, and also brings the local community together.

“It is something I have always done and Durham Police have to be the best police in the world for being pro-bikers.

“But cancelling the event, I didn’t think it was quite right. This is our way of giving something back to them.”

Scores of people lined the route to wave the riders by and later posed for photos with the bikers, many of whom were wearing Easter-themed fancy dress.

Lifelong biker, Xena James, from County Durham, came dressed as the Easter Bunny and had spent around ten hours decorating her trike.

“It is just for the kids really, and it brings a smile to people’s faces,” she said.

“Right through from setting off in Durham to arriving in Darlington, people came out, like they do every year, to cheer us on – it was brilliant.”

Thousands of Easter eggs were donated by the North-East biking community, as well as local businesses, including Tesco, Morrisons and Hardwick Hall.

Teesside engineering firm Intelect also supplied a van to transport the eggs, which were also being dropped off at women’s refuges, and donated £150 to the charity Bloodrun Evs, which sees volunteers transporting vital medical supplies to hospitals across the area.

Boundary 500 motorcyclists on Teesside also gave their time to charity. The long-established group wore fancy dress to raise hundreds of pounds for Zoe’s Place baby hospice at Thornaby Pavilion on Saturday.

Today (Sunday, April 5) the bikers took about 560 Easter eggs they had collected from Tesco, Asda and individuals to six care homes for the elderly in the Thornaby and Ingleby Barwick area.

“We were all dressed as rabbits, sheep, you name it,” said Boundary 500 member, Malcolm Wright of Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, “so of course the first thing they wanted to do in the care homes was give you a cuddle. We’ve been cuddling people all day. It’s good to remember our senior people are Easter to. I don’t think some of them were being visited by family. It’s also great to get all the waves and cars beeping when you’re riding from care home to care home.”