Riders dressed in Home Guard outfits left from the town’s The Pink Pub last Monday (June 3) on vintage bikes and headed to Pegasus Bridge in Normandy, France, where they arrived in time for the D-Day 75 celebrations on Thursday (June 6). Upon his arrival back home, one of the riders Jack Keywood said the event was ‘very emotional’. He added: “It was amazing. It went so well. It was breathtaking. It was better than I hoped. A lot of it was new to me as I knew stories that my grandad told me but not much more. I would recommend it to anyone. Some of the sights were mind boggling. It was beautiful to be in Normandy during the D-Day celebrations and pay our respects.” The charity bike ride has so far raised £104,004 — 260 per cent of its £40,000 target — which will be donated to All Call Signs, a veteran’s support group, and Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, a charity to help children in crisis through the electronic music industry. Jack said the support and love he and his fellow riders support have had has been ‘fantastic’. He added: “It’s been absolutely incredible. The whole thing was 10/10. Seeing the war veterans was like seeing celebrities. They are our local celebrities. There is so much love and respect for them. It was just amazing to see. I went out for a coffee in Arundel over the weekend and saw two of the veterans who we shared the ferry with. They have been best friends for 74 years. I’m taking my family to Normandy next week because I want to bring my kids up knowing about the people in our past. I didn’t know the full of extent of it until now.”