THOUSANDS of pounds raised at the annual Kirkby Christmas Trial has been handed to two charities.

Running since 2006, the event has raised more than £50,000 for various good causes to date.

Winners and previous riders have included Ripon’s own Danny Gamble and Joel Sadler along with Billy Bolt, Graham Jarvis, Jonathan Richardson, Guy Kendrew, Richard Sadler and Jack Peace.

In December, in conjunction with Ripon Motor Club Ltd, the annual trial was the biggest and best yet, with 163 riders over three courses. The entry included names like James Dabill, Alexz Wigg, Steve Peat, Harry Turner and Dan Thorpe to name but a few. James Dabill beat Harry Turner to the trophy, by only one mark.

At the helm were Dave Mawer, Joel Sadler and Nigel Simpson, who ensured the planned event was one to remember, along with the help of the Ripon Motor Club Committee and some other willing volunteers. The Mawer family have been hosting the trial at their farm near Kirkby Malzeard for years, and a club spokesperson thanked them for their continued support.

This year, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service and the Macmillan Head and Neck Cancer Nurses based at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough were chosen to benefit from the event's proceeds.

The motor club spokesperson said: "Given the remote location of trials, we never know when the services of the air ambulance will be needed, therefore the worthwhile charity felt like a must choice. The Macmillan nurses charity is particularly close to the hearts for all at Ripon, with one of the committee members battling tonsil cancer, without the help of those nurses at James Cook, things would definitely have been a lot harder for the family."

The trial raised a total of £4200 with Ripon Motor Club donating an additional £1,800 so both charities could receive £3,000 each. For, MacMillan, the money will go towards converting a room into a sanctuary for patients and their loved ones to talk about treatment plans, and next steps.

The Kirkby Christmas Trial will once again be running under the umbrella of Ripon Motor Club in December 2022.