RIDERS have raised thousands of pounds to help ensure that every child on the Great Western Hospital children’s unit receives a gift for Christmas.

Pinkertons Motorcycle Club had a static display of Motorcycles by the fountain in the town centre, along with Santa.

This comes as part of their Toy Run which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

In addition to the usual toys and gifts, the hospital has asked the group to purchase some medical gaming carts which will allow the children to play computer games while remaining in bed.

The gaming carts cost around £2,000 each and come preloaded with Xbox or Nintendo games.

Pinkertons club secretary Mandy Evans said: “We asked them if they had the money what would they really want. They asked us to raise money for a gaming console that they wheel up to the bedside, so children can access things like iPlayer, Netflix, Spotify, and it’s preloaded with all the games.

“People have been wonderful. They’ve been really generous. We just want to thank people for their generosity, we know that times are tough, but the fact that year upon year people contribute towards this is wonderful and it warms your heart."

The club has raised its largest amount in its 30-year history on Saturday, collecting £1,971.91.

“If they’re in hospital over Christmas, that’s tough,” Mandy said. “Being stuck in hospital for Christmas is awful, if we can bring a little bit of cheer – that’s really what it’s about.”