When John Neilson arrived at The Birches care home in Crieff, Helen Maclellan knew she had a challenge on her hands.
Helen’s job is activities co-ordinator at the home. And John, who had come for respite care, was not her typical resident.
Aged 72, he’s younger than most. And with his long flowing hair and beard, his denims and black T-shirts and his many passions – spanning everything from Jacobite history to Harley Davidsons – he cut a distinctive figure in the day room.
“I just knew bingo wasn’t going to float John’s boat,” laughed Helen.
But when the pair realised they had a shared love of motorbikes something magical happened.
Helen put a message out on Facebook asking if any bikers would like to visit the HC One home on Comrie Road, with a promise of a cup of tea and a biscuit.
And then, in John’s words, things “started to grow arms and legs… and wheels.”
Crieff care home welcomes friendly ‘invasion’
More than 100 motorcyclists roared through the gates of the home on Comrie Road throughout the day on Sunday.
Some came from Crieff, others from across Scotland. Local biker groups turned out in numbers. Others arrived in ones or twos to join the throng.
At one point in the afternoon, more than 70 motorbikes were parked in the home’s grounds.
Many of The Birches residents sat in the sunshine and enjoyed the spectacle. Others watched from the windows.
Residents from the Balhousie Dalnagar care home next door even popped over to see what all the fuss was about.
John delivered a rousing speech, thanking the crowds for turning out and encouraging them to to join him in the roar of “Clan McBiker”.
He said the visit had lifted his spirits and cemented his belief in the bikers’ bond.
Bikers’ negative reputation is undeserved
“I’ve met so many amazing, interesting, genuine and kind people today,” said John.
“When Helen and I first started talking about this a few weeks ago, she said she’d try to get three or four people along. But then word got out and there’s been well over 100 here today.
“When it started to grow arms and legs and wheels, I said ‘do you think we’re going to get into trouble’ and she said ‘we’ll just have to find out’.”
John said the gathering had given his fellow residents a boost too.
“A lot of the ladies in there have got real sparkles in their eyes,” he said.
“And at lunchtime all these stories and memories were coming out.”
He added: “Bikers get a bad reputation, all these negative connotations.
“But all these guys, and girls, have come here on the promise of nothing more than a cup of coffee and a biscuit. They’ve done something special.”
‘This is what bikers do’
Sandy Brown, 69, from Coaltown of Balgonie, was there on his Ducati with members of the Fife Bikers group.
He said the friendships he’d made from motorcycling had meant the world to him since the loss of his wife, and he was glad to be able to pass the favour on to someone else.
“My only regret is the big chunk of my life when I wasn’t biking,” he said.
Helen said she was grateful to every person who turned out.
“I had a sneaking suspicion we’re get a good turnout, because this is what bikers do,” she said.
“But I want to say a huge thank you to every single person who came here to do a really kind thing for a man they didn’t know.”
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