A BURNLEY man who lost his brother in a motorcycle accident last year has urged bikers to join him on a memorial ride to raise cash for the Lancashire Air Ambulance.

Graem Barsby organised the ride after his brother, Jeffrey Craig Barsby, died.

Jeffrey, 35, of Higher Causeway, Barrowford, was returning from the Lakes with a group of fellow bikers when his 750cc Kawasaki collided with a deer on the isolated Whitewell Road, Cow Ark, in the Trough of Bowland, in August.

Jeffrey, who learned to ride a moped when he was just six years old, was also a keen fisherman and a member of Barrowford Anglers for around 20 years.

The former Primet High School pupil lived with his parents Syd, 72, and Irene, 68, after being made redundant two years ago from Phoenix Wall Coverings, Colne, where he worked as a printer.

Graem, 45, of Grasmere Street, Burnley, has planned a ride from Barrowford to Kirkby Lonsdale for August 15 and is hoping as many bikers as possible will join him and his friends.

He said: "It's a year since Jeff died and we wanted to do something as a memorial and also to raise some money. The air ambulance always needs cash so we thought why not do a ride to help them out?

"The more people we get turning up wanting to do the ride the better and the more we will be able to raise."

The ride will set off from the lay-bys in the centre of Barrowford at 10am and will stop at Jeffrey's old house to deliver a bouquet of flowers to his mum, before heading on to Gisburn for a second pick-up and from there to Kirkby Lonsdale where a collection will be held.