Hands up, how many of you have suffered from (or are suffering from) mental health issues?* It’s something that is usually invisible and often stigmatised, but we riders can help each other through it.
It may not be a miracle cure, but a ride out on a scooter often helps to clear the mind; it’s a time when you’re concentrating and can get away from your troubles for a while. Whilst you’re riding, you could also give your trips an extra purpose and be in with a chance of winning the Lambretta above.
*My hand is up if that makes you feel any better.
Random Acts of Kindness
Make Your MARK promotes Motorbiker Acts of Random Kindness (MARKs) as a way of making a difference to fellow riders. It can be as simple as a smile across a scooter-friendly cafe, or a quick chat about your chosen steed with an old boy who “Used to have one of those in the ’60s”.
Simple but powerful moments of connection that can make a big difference to a person’s day – or life. Small acts can make a difference; it’s nice to be nice.
Make Your MARK
This biker-run initiative gained full charity status last year and drives 100% of funds back into helping causes that could one day help all of us. These include wellbeing and community-led schemes. They also provide free mental health first aid and safeguarding training, install defibrillators inside biker-friendly cafes and have developed a fast-growing nationwide network of biker wellbeing hubs.
Not bad going for something that started out as a small venture in Wales, they’ve certainly made their MARK already.
James Turner (red shirt), Director of Vintage Metals, and Paul Sims (the man behind Make Your MARK and the Bike & Brew initiative)
Bike & Brew
One of the charity’s key fundraisers is its excellent Bike & Brew Passport scheme. You can pick up a Passport at one of almost 300 bike and scooter-friendly cafes across England and Wales. They cost £10 (which all goes to the charity). Or you can order one online for £12.
UK Biker Cafes produce a dedicated map for all the 2026 Bike and Brew Passport venues. Just scan the QR code on the FAQ poster below, and you’ll find all the venues on a Google map. The idea is that you collect passport stamps at various locations and for every stamp, you get entered into the prize draw.
For many bikers, having a destination to ride to makes a big difference. Taking part in Bike & Brew means they can plan a route that includes a couple of passport-stamping sites as an excuse to get out and ride.
The Bike & Brew event runs from April 1st through to 30th September.
How do you enter?
Once you’ve got a passport. The idea is that you collect as many stamps as possible throughout the year, and for every 10 stamps you collect, you’ll get a ticket to enter the prize draw. Just buy yourself a cuppa at the cafe to help support the businesses involved.
Vintage Metals prize
There are various prizes to be won, but New Forest-based scooter dealer, Vintage Metals, has donated a tasty-looking matt black Lambretta Series 2, complete with lots of engraving, for this year’s star prize. They’re also one of the stops on the Bike & Brew map, so you can see the scooter up close if you call in for a cuppa. Let them know that SLUK sent you down there.
Get your passport ready
The competition starts this week, so it’s the perfect time to start collecting stamps.
You can find UK Biker Cafes on your route to Scarborough (if you’re going) or use the Bank Holiday weekend to put some miles in locally if not.
Be sure to Make Your MARK wherever you ride, the world really does need to be a nicer place than it is at the moment, and a little kindness can go a long way.
Iggy
