BIKERS were out in force on a pilgrimage of support for the Armed Forces.

Hundreds of people set off from the Cherwell Valley Services, off the M40, for The National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) at Alrewas, in Staffordshire, to mark the fourth annual Ride to the Wall on Saturday. It was one of seven meeting points around the country for about 15,000 bikers who rode in convoy to the Armed Forces Memorial at the NMA.

A service of remembrance was then held at the memorial, which is engraved with the names of more than 16,000 service men and women killed on duty or by terrorist action since the end of the Second World War.

Kate Habberley spokesman for the NMA, said the event had raised in excess of £100,000 — twice as much as last year.

She added: “It is significant in terms of the arboretum becoming regarded as a national focal point of remembrance.”