Hoggin 2024 officially launched by Caldicot Motorcycle Club

Hoggin' is back for 2024, from its home near Caldicot, with the Caldicot Motorcycle Club, for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown in 2020. 

We went along to the official launch at Gympanzees children's charity in Aust to find out what the event is all about. 

Hoggin' is a special event for motorcyclists across the UK to come together and ride across the M48 Old Severn Bridge between England and Wales. 

The official ride will be taking place on Sunday, October 13 with the ride leaving the big Aust car park outside Gympanzees at 11am sharp. 

After being delayed somewhat due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has returned in 2024, coming home to Caldicot for the first time in a number of years, under the management of Caldicot Motorcycle Club (CMC), who will be supporting Gympanzees children's charity with donations from the event. 

The members of Caldicot Motorcycle Club are all excited for the event in October (Image: Newsquest)It's very much a family event, with children encouraged to get involved, and many of the bikers in fancy dress. 

According to one CMC member, they even had a Wallace and Gromit dress up pair a few years ago. 

The member added: "It's just so much fun for everyone - adults and kids alike and we can't wait to see them all."

For the first time, the ride will begin from Gympanzees' big car park in Aust, just outside Bristol, with bikers travelling all the way along the M48 bridge to Caldicot. 

Club secretary and president Dawn and Colin Jones are so excited to be bringing Hoggin' home for 2024 (Image: Newsquest)Club secretary Dawn Jones has been one of the key figures in getting the event off the ground for this year, having been taking part in such events since joining the club with her husband Colin, in 2006. 

She is delighted to be returning to Caldicot for 2024, and expects thousands of bikers to be in attendance. 

She said: "We're really excited as we are able to depart from Aust big car park, so it feels like finally HOGGIN is coming home.

"It's a big deal especially to anyone like us who's ever risen the Hoggin the Bridge runs in the past.

"We've previously had loads of people join us - this car park will be completely full on the day - and then we get dozens of people lining the bridge from all the local villages like Magor and Undy who come out to cheer us all on.

"We are so excited to be back - it's like a Bikers' Christmas!"

Club president Colin Jones takes an excited member of Gympanzees on a ride (Image: Newsquest)President Colin Jones - fondly known as Bear -  said it means "a great deal" to him to be able to bring Hoggin' home to Caldicot from Aust. 

He said: "We've been doing this for years, and it's just so brilliant to be able to bring it home. 

"I'm really looking forward to it all and just can't wait for October and for the actual ride now!"

The sentiment was shared by all the other club bikers in attendance during Sunday's launch, with the overall feeling a real buzz of excitement and anticipation for October's event. 

Members of Caldicot Motorcycle Club say they can't wait for October (Image: Newsquest)We even went on a little ride on one of the bikes to see what all the fuss was about in preparation for the event, and it was easy to see why everyone was getting excited. 

For Gympanzees chief operations officer Fran Garland and project manager Lucy Spielberg, Hoggin' is a great opportunity for people to find out more about their charity. 

They said: "It's been really lovely to engage with the whole club, and they've been so supportive of us and what we do with the children. 

"It's been so exciting to see all the plans, and then to see some of the children getting excited about all the bikes today has been brilliant. We have one kid who's an absolute speed demon, and to see him get a chance to go on the bike - his face just lit up.

"Seeing stuff like that is what makes our work worth it, so to help an event like this is great, especially as we know they're going to help us with donations from the event."

Although you can just turn up on the day, it is advisable to book, with an event page being set up on Facebook with more details in preparation for October 13.