About Torbay Bikers for Kids
Torbay Bikers for Kids was established in 2017 as a fundraising group, and in 2022 it became a registered charity. Its objective is to raise money to purchase essential items for local children who are disabled or severely ill and, in so doing, improve their lives and/or education. As of July 2026, the charity has purchased essential items for 320 children at a cost of £80,000.00, and all of the children helped are featured on our Facebook page, which you can view by using the below link.
Parents and guardians who want to apply for an essential item for their child who is disabled or severely ill and living in Torbay (South Devon) or the surrounding area should make contact with us through our Facebook page, which can be reached by using the above link.
Chair of the Board of Trustees
The Chair of the Board of Trustees is Sue Kray, who co-founded Torbay Bikers for Kids in 2017 with her husband. Sue lives in Torquay and for the past 25 years she has dedicated her life to helping children who are disabled or severely ill. She has both a disabled step-daughter and a disabled step-granddaughter. Sue is also passionate about rehoming dogs, and she is a trustee and the head co-ordinator of Dachshund Rescue UK, a nationwide charity that she has been associated with for more than 25 years.
Our Chair, Sue, presenting an item to a child who is housebound
Compassion in the Community: Our Commitment to Making a Difference
The charity's objective is to raise money to purchase essential items for local children who are disabled or severely ill, but sometimes we are asked to arrange, or do something, a little bit different for the community. Here are four examples:
Every Christmas Day for the last 7 years, our Santa Biker has visited the graves of the babies, infants and children buried at Torquay Cemetery to show they are not forgotten at Christmas. Bereaved families who attend the cemetery, or those who couldn't make it on the day, get comfort in knowing that their sleeping angels receive their annual visit from the man in red with the long white beard.
In 2018, the charity was asked by a bereaved mother, whose son was tragically killed in a motorcycle collision locally, to arrange for some of his ashes to be buried on Mount Everest, and we managed to arrange this for her. We also had a flag made (inset) that was hung at Base Camp in his memory.
At the beginning of 2022, Isla's mother applied to the charity for an Apple iPad for 8-year-old Isla to use in hospital whilst receiving treatment for cancer. Isla's mother also asked if we could arrange for Isla to feed an elephant, which she wanted to do since seeing the movie Dumbo. We reached out on social media, and Noah's Ark Zoo in Bristol granted Isla her dream. Sadly, Isla lost her battle with cancer. RIP, little one.
In 2023, a trike was needed to take world-famous former motorcycle stuntman Eddie Kidd-OBE and his partner/carer on a charity ride-out around Dartmoor, followed by 100 bikers. Eddie suffered catastrophic injuries whilst making a motorcycle jump at an event in 1996, and the charity was asked to provide one.
Our Patron
The Patron of our charity is the much-loved television character 'Wee Jimmy Krankie', the cheeky Scottish schoolboy played by female comedian Jeanette Tough, who, with her husband Ian, is the comedy duo the Krankies. At 4ft 5in tall, Wee Jimmy holds the Guinness World Record for being the Oldest Child on Television, and in 2003 was voted the Most Scottish Person in the World by readers of the Glasgow Herald. Famous for the phrase 'Fandabidozi!', Wee Jimmy Krankie has been our Patron since 2017. Below is a link to the Krankie's first television appearance in 1974.
