TV chef Si King has said an estimated 20,000 people are set to take part in Dave Day in honour of the late Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers, adding “it’s a celebration of my best friend that we’ve lost”.
Myers, who was part of the motorcycle-riding cooking duo with co-presenter King, died in February at the age of 66 after suffering from cancer.
Dave Day has been organised in his home town of Barrow-in-Furness on Saturday to celebrate his life.
His tribute day will include a motorcycle procession from London to Barrow-in-Furness, a music concert and a service of remembrance.
It's a celebration of my best friend that we've lost. And yeah, it is, it's very emotional
The day will raise funds for cancer charities and children’s charity the NSPCC.
King, speaking to BBC Breakfast from north-west London on Saturday morning, said the event would be a “celebration of my best friend that we’ve lost” and it will be “very emotional”.
Speaking of the crowd of bikers gathered in Hawaiian shirts around him, King said it was “pretty amazing”, adding: “Everybody’s got that lovely Dave sartorial elegance about them, ie dodgy shirt. Some of them have had them specially printed, it’s remarkable. I mean, you wouldn’t buy a second-hand car from them, would you?”
King added: “It’s a celebration of my best friend that we’ve lost. And, yeah, it is, it’s very emotional.
“You never know how these things are going to impact you, you know, it is a celebration of Dave’s life.
“That’s why we’re here because he was so irritatingly positive all of the time. And we love him and that’s why we’re here.”
King added he wants people to say they are having a “Dave day” instead of a “great day”.
He said an estimated 20,000 people will take part in Dave Day.
King said cancer is a “ruthless disease”, adding: “It doesn’t care who it takes. And that’s part of the reason that we’re here.
“We’re all like-minded folk, you know, and it’s diverse and it’s as varied as every motorcycle that you see, all the characters and personalities here are just great.
“That’s the whole thing about a journey, because motorcycling isn’t about A to B, it’s about the bit in the middle and that’s the bit of life that we all celebrate. That’s what it’s about.”
One of the bikers taking part in the day is Stan, who told BBC Breakfast he was diagnosed a year ago with cancer and said the day would be “phenomenal”.
Myers’s widow Lili Myers told BBC Breakfast: “We have people coming from all over the country. We have people coming from Texas, from Malaysia, from all over Europe.
“Oh, it’s endearing. It just helps me go through my process of grief. Because it just makes me feel that I’m not on my own with all this.
“He always cooked, that was his territory. I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen, just to clean the kitchen and, I tell you, he would cook for an hour, I will clean for two. He knew how to create a moment. That was his forte.”
Jason Woodcock, Dave Day organiser, told BBC Breakfast: “I went to see him the day before he passed.
“Lili asked me for a couple of bikes together for his funeral, which I did. Some of the guys that are here today were there as well. They got to the funeral, had a few beers as you would do. And then the idea came up during the conversation of let’s do a memorial ride.”
He added the people in Barrow have been “amazing”, offering spare rooms and gardens for people to camp in as there is no accommodation left.
