Hairy Biker Si King emotional as thousands gather at Dave Myers celebration-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

TV chef Si King has estimated 20,000 people will take part in Dave Day in honour of his ‘best friend’ the late Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers.

Myers, who was one-half of the motorcycle-riding cooking duo with co-presenter Si for two decades, died in February aged 66 after suffering from cancer. He was diagnosed two years earlier in May 2022.

Dave Day has been organised in his home town of Barrow-in-Furness on Saturday to celebrate his life.

The tributary day will include a motorcycle procession from London to Barrow-in-Furness, a music concert and a service of remembrance.

The day will raise funds for The Institute of Cancer Research and children’s charity the NSPCC.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast from north-west London start point on Saturday morning, Si, 57, said the event is a ‘celebration of my best friend that we’ve lost’ and it will be ‘very emotional’.

The late TV chef was from Barrow-in-Furness (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The bikers set off at around 8am this morning with countless more expected to join along the 300-mile journey ending in his coastal home town.

He continued: ‘You never know how these things are going to impact you, you know, it is a celebration of Dave’s life.

‘That’s why we’re here because he was so irritatingly positive all of the time. And we love him and that’s why we’re here.’

Si added he wants people to say they are having a ‘Dave day’ instead of a ‘great day’.

Elsewhere in the interview the TV personality praised the crowd of bikers dressed in Hawaiian shirts as ‘pretty amazing’.

Some of the people attending today (Picture: Martyn Wheatley / i-Images)

Up to 20,000 motorcyclists are expected to join the memorial day (Picture: Martyn Wheatley / i-Images)

He shared: ‘Everybody’s got that lovely Dave sartorial elegance about them, ie dodgy shirt. Some of them have had them specially printed, it’s remarkable. I mean, you wouldn’t buy a second-hand car from them, would you?’

Si added that cancer is a ‘ruthless disease’, saying: ‘It doesn’t care who it takes. And that’s part of the reason that we’re here.

‘We’re all like-minded folk, you know, and it’s diverse and it’s as varied as every motorcycle that you see, all the characters and personalities here are just great.

‘That’s the whole thing about a journey, because motorcycling isn’t about A to B, it’s about the bit in the middle and that’s the bit of life that we all celebrate. That’s what it’s about.’

The money raised will be split evenly between two chancer charities (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

The hosting duo were knonw as the Hairy Bikers for 20 years (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

One of the bikers taking part in the day is Stan, who told BBC Breakfast he was diagnosed a year ago with cancer and said the day would be ‘phenomenal’.

Myers’s widow Lili told BBC Breakfast there were ‘people coming from all over the country’ and beyond from ‘Texas, from Malaysia, from all over Europe’.

She added: ‘Oh, it’s endearing. It just helps me go through my process of grief. Because it just makes me feel that I’m not on my own with all this.

‘He always cooked, that was his territory. I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen, just to clean the kitchen and, I tell you, he would cook for an hour, I will clean for two. He knew how to create a moment. That was his forte.’

Jason Woodcock, Dave Day organiser, explained how the day came about to BBC Breakfast. He said Lili asked him to get ‘a couple of bikes together for his funeral’.

They kicked off the trip from Ace Cafe in London (Picture: Martyn Wheatley / i-Images)

During the funeral ‘the idea came up during the conversation of let’s do a memorial ride’. Since then people have offered their spare rooms and gardens for people to stay in since all accomodation is occupied.

A few days ago fans shared their love for Si after he shared a photo of him sipping on a bespoke a Hairy Bikers beer by an empty chair and extra bottle.

‘‘I notice you have a beer for Dave too. Heart-wrenching and heartwarming simultaneously,’ wrote Donna on social media.

‘The man is still by your side. always and forever. We all miss him Si. Can’t imagine how you feel xx,’ added account Hoof Antiques.

In April, 6,000 leathered-up motorcyclists gathered to honour Myers in a 75-mile trip that Si said he ‘would have loved it’.

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