Landlord puts brakes on Weedon ‘Ton Up Day’ biker rally

A popular motorbike rally has been cancelled after the owner of the suggested venue stepped in to stop it.

Ton Up Day was to be held in June at The Depot – a former military site now home to businesses including cafes and antique shops – in Weedon, Northamptonshire.

It was hoped the event – named after a motorcycling term for reaching a speed of 100mph (160km/h) – would continue the tradition of getting hundreds of bikers together, following the closure of the truckstop where it used to take place.

But The Depot’s management said it had not been consulted and it had concerns about safety, capacity and licensing.

Ton Up Day began in 2003, when two enthusiasts arranged annual meet-ups in “rocker” pubs around London.

In 2008, the event moved to Jack’s Hill Cafe, a truckstop on the A5 just outside Towcester.

Hundreds of bikers came from across the country and beyond to meet other riders and show off their machines.

Hev Cagnasso, who helped to organise the last few Jack’s Hill events, said: “It was like a step back in time, a celebration of that era in the early to mid-sixties, when there were the rockers about and they were hanging around the transport cafes.”

The last event at the Towcester venue took place in 2019, and the Covid pandemic put efforts to find a new location on hold.

Ms Cagnasso then got an offer to host the event from one of the businesses at The Depot.

A date was advertised and, according to Ms Cagnasso, enthusiasts from the UK started to make arrangements to attend.

The Depot management then got in touch to say it “took the risks associated with such unauthorised activity extremely seriously”.

The communication added: “Let us be unequivocal, Ton Up Day will not be allowed to proceed at The Depot under any circumstances.”

Ms Cagnasso said: “It’s always had a very happy feel to it, I’ve never known any trouble at the Ton Up Day.

“I don’t know what the landlords thought we were going to do – it just seems a bit heavy-handed and, to be honest, a bit shocking really.”

She added that a charity, Dementia UK, had been picked to benefit from the event.

Michael Chittenden, the owner of The Depot, said: “Depot management was not consulted about the event in advance; we were only made aware after concerns were raised by neighbours and tenants.

“While we understand the charitable intentions behind the event, it could not proceed due to concerns over capacity, licensing, and particularly health and safety.”