PAIGNTON BIKE FESTIVAL - April 29, 30, 31

GO west, young man - or any age and gender come to that - for the Paignton Bike Festival in Devon this weekend.

Wednesdays have been bike night on the front in Paignton in the same way as at Poole.

A mile of bikes parked side by side - the riders enjoy it, the tourists love it, and the council and tourism board have seen how good it is for the town and got fully involved with BMAD in running the new festival.

Eighteen bands will be performing on the main stage and the arena.

Stunt riding, wall of death and trade stands, as well as a bike show, should keep everyone happy and entertained.

A prize of £1,000 for the best in show will make someone better off too.

The bike show is run on the simple basis of "just turn up"; all classes are welcome, so bring your bike and enjoy the fun

The festival starts at 6.30pm on Friday and runs for the next two days from ten in the morning until ten at night.

There's no camping on site, so make plans for accommodation by ringing 0870 707 0010. That's the Tourist Information Board and they have a list of "bike friendly" accommodation.

Full marks for compiling that list. It includes such reassurances as "double garage", "walled car park" and "covered by CCTV" - now that makes me and my bike feel welcome.

Who is BMAD? Bikers Make a Difference, a group that started the Paignton bike nights and compounded their success by creating the Paignton Festival while raising considerable funds for charity.

This year they aim to raise £30,000 at the festival and another £20,000 on bike nights.

Entry to the event is free but they ask for a donation at the gate - so don't be stingy.

Such notables as Carole Nash, Bridge Motorcycles, Auto Glym, Metzler and Battastinis are among the list of sponsors; check www.bmad.co.uk for a full list.

You may not recognise one of the names in the list - DG Custom Cycles.

This is a new custom building business that can be found at Dockgate 20 and they have chosen the festival to showcase their bikes, including the all-new 360 back end V Rod.

DG Custom is a separate entity from Dockgate 20 but a member of the Magic Group. Builders Tubbs and Graham Duffy have 60 years of custom-building experience between them and will produce one-off bikes to the customer's design.

With hi-spec PC tools it will be possible to see the bike before a piece of steel is picked up.