Geraldton Salvation Army Toy Run revs up Christmas spirit

The festive spirit was alive and well on Saturday morning as more than 70 motorbike riders cruised around Geraldton with a police escort as part of the annual Salvation Army Toy Run.

Taking off from Cathedral Avenue about 10am, riders headed out to Bluff Point before returning to the CBD and along Foreshore Drive to donate presents for children in need this Christmas.

Riders colourfully decorated their bikes with tinsel and dressed in festive outfits, waving at onlookers, who managed to score some snaps of some of the more innovative costumes.

The group were greeted on Foreshore Drive with some classical Christmas tunes performed by the Geraldton City Band in searing heat.

The temperature gauge at Geraldton Airport hit a maximum of 38.1C at 12.12pm.

Salvation Army Geraldton’s Natalie Norman said the toys would bring some Christmas cheer to about 120 Mid West families.

“What I love about this is it’s about helping kids and giving them a new toy when they maybe haven’t had one all year,” she said.

“Sometimes the kids end up in situations which are no fault of their own.

“It’s nice to make their Christmas really special.”

Ms Norman said the Geraldton branch of the Salvation Army was still seeing Mid West families struggling with the effects of COVID-19 and cyclone Seroja.

“We’ve had an increased demand for our service,” she said.

“We are having to turn people away.

“I suspect some families made financial commitments on that higher income that was coming in with the COVID supplements.”

“While some sectors of the economy are screaming out for workers ... most of our clients don’t have those skills.

“There is a whole cohort of clients who left high school in Year 10.”