Motorbike-mad great-gran, 89, burns rubber on trike ride with bikers

08 May 2023 , 20:18

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Margaret with trike and pub boss Elaine

A great-grandmother pulled on her motorcycle leathers and went for a ride for the first time in 70 years thanks to pub regulars.

Margaret Lythgoe, 89, used to ride on the back of her late brother Thomas’ bike when she was a ­teen.

The former special needs nurse had told her family of her dream of getting back on the open road.

Her son Stephen, 65, mentioned his mum’s ambition to pub manager Elaine Brooks. Luckily, Christine Dickinson, one of her staff, runs local ladies motorcycle club Lionesses MCC and put the wheels in motion to make Margaret’s day.

It was decided that Margaret, who has dementia, would be more comfortable on the back of a trike.

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Bikers at the Cart and Horses

Wearing her bright pink helmet and leathers, she went for an hour-long thrill ride in a group of 20 bikers from the Cart and Horses, in Astley, Greater Manchester.

Margaret, from Bolton, is a pub regular, going for meals and attending its OAP karaoke afternoons.

Christine said: “Margaret couldn’t stop smiling afterwards. She loved every minute. She obviously felt the clock rolling back as she rode along.”

Christine also runs the Hope View Sensory Farm in Astley, which provides stimulation for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

She said: “The pub has always been supportive of the farm and its aim of raising money for Alzheimer’s. So the fact that I’m a biker, I run this farm and of course work at the Cart and Horses all came together to help.”

Although Margaret’s short-term memory is not what it was, her son Stephen says she breaks into a huge smile whenever last month’s ride is mentioned. He said: “It was thrilling for Mum. She said it was the best thing she had ever done.”

Paul Byrne