HUNDREDS of charitable bikers turned out to celebrate the last Southampton Bike Night of the year.

Around 350 bikes were wheeled into the Bargate for the end-of-season event, held in aid of Southampton City Mission (SCM).

Despite heavy showers, the group still managed to fill two vans with food, cleaning equipment and hygiene supplies.

The donations will be given to SCM, who will hand it out to Southampton residents who have fallen on hard times.

Bike night creator, Mark Holman, said: “It was a very good night.

“The weather scuppered our high hopes so numbers were down.

“That didn’t stop people coming out and supporting us. The amount of support we had was fantastic.”

The charity-themed night is the traditional curtain closer for Southampton Bike Night’s weekly meetings, held each Thursday at the Bargate between April and September.

Although the event is free to attend, the group’s last meeting of the year is turned into a charity fundraiser, with attendees asked to bring donations.

However the event, which attracted almost 1,000 bikes last year, was threatened with cancellation this September, due to the arrival of Southampton’s Sky Observation Wheel.

The 115ft attraction was originally meant to arrive at the Bargate on Saturday, September 9 - which meant it clashed with Bike Night’s charity night at the end of September.

However, the two groups came to a compromise, with Bike Night ending on Thursday, September 14, and the Ferris wheel rolling into the city the following day.

Despite both parties happily agreeing the deal, Mr Holman says the fallout may effect the future of Bike Night in Southampton.

Asked if the group would return to the Bargate next year, the 47-year-old said: “We will have to have a meeting with the council to discuss how they feel about the event.

“We want to ask if they appreciate what the event does for Southampton and if they value it.

“But if the council wants to do it again next year, then so do we.”

In the meantime, the group plan to host a number of special meetings.

Bikers from the group will mark Remembrance Day by riding around the city with poppy-themed accessories, before laying a wreath at the city’s Cenotaph.

Organisers also hope to host a New Year’s Day event at the Bargate, which will be free to attend and open to members of the public.