For some time shopping centre manager Karl Taylor has harboured an ambition to ride out to other shopping centres round the country.

Apart from his love of bikes and a desire to take to the open road at every opportunity, Karl is keen to encourage his colleagues scattered around the country to work together for a single cause.

Air Ambulance is an organisation close to bikers’ hearts because of the work it does in helping to save the lives of accident victims, many of whom are bikers.

With that in mind, Karl has undertaken to go on a mammoth journey visiting his colleagues at 17 shopping centres in England and Scotland.

The initiative aims to raise at least £20,000 for Air Ambulance organisations and the total raised by the end of the journey will be shared out among the different branches.

The profile of the biker has had a boost in recent years thanks to Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman and the Hairy Bikers and Karl is keen to impress on us that under all that leather, bikers have a heart of gold. As a group they are generous and helpful and the machines they ride hold a fascination for people of all ages.

When Karl Taylor mentioned to his bosses that he would love to ride out to link up with his colleagues in other shopping centres, he didn’t realise his dream would turn into reality.

Now he is weeks away from the adventure which will start on April 5th with a launch at County Air Ambulance depot at Strensham, just off the M5, and will finish back at The Ryemarket shopping centre in Stourbridge, with an arrival party on Sunday, April 13.

Once news of his journey reached other centres, James Smart, operations manager at The Foundry, Scunthorpe, jumped at the chance of riding with Karl.

The two will be supported by Colin Beswick, deputy manager at Spring Gardens, Buxton. A first aider, Colin will follow them in a support vehicle.

Each shopping centre visited will organise a welcome event and it is an ideal opportunity for bike retailers, biker groups, BikeSafe and other organisations to join in and help raise much needed cash to keep our air ambulances flying.