Words & Photos: Chris Hitchcock
Thirty-one years ago, members of the Italian Motorcycle Owners Club (IMOC) got together and looked at ways to make the lives of children in orphanages, homes, and hospitals all over South Africa just a little bit brighter and bearable. Obviously it made sense to combine their planned charity drive with motorbikes, so why not hold a mass ride where participants had to donate a toy. And just like that, a South African institution, the Toy Run, was born.
Photo credit: Chris Hitchcock
I wonder if, 31 years ago, the original instigators of the Toy Run had any idea just how big their labour of love would become? Did they really hope that eventually it would be so big that 75,000 bikers would gather countrywide in an annual outpouring of charity and opening of wallets?
Bikers now know that the last Sunday of November is Toy Run day. A day when even the most grizzled of bikers turn into cuddly teddy bears. Big bikes and riders with big hearts are covered with soft toys and ridden in convoy to collection points where the toys are collected for distribution.
From there, the toys are disbursed to more than 300 organisations throughout the country. None are sold and it is a point of pride that all are distributed in the year they are collected. On top of that, none of the organising team or distribution channels are paid for their efforts. It is all strictly voluntary and charitable, and make no mistake, it is a massive undertaking.
The Toy Run has become so big and ubiquitous that the word is now used as a noun and is a registered trademark. It has a police escort, roads are closed off, and intersections are manned by traffic police who all seem to enter into the spirit of the occasion. Over the years, the Toy Run has grown exponentially and this year it is estimated that more than 35,000 toys were collected in Cape Town alone. That’s enough to fill two very large trucks.
Photo credit: Chris Hitchcock
Musical entertainment and food was provided in a festival atmosphere at the end venue, with motorcycle displays, bike-related accessory stands, and beer gardens as added attractions. The entry fee for all of this? One toy. You don’t even need to arrive on a bike.
So if you want to participate in next year's Toy Run, which will take place on the last Sunday of November, there is nothing stopping you. In fact, it is estimated that this year almost 5,000 non-riding participants attended the Cape Town event alone.
For more information on the Toy Run, visit www.toyrun.co.za
