Actress Jill gets the biking bug with Get On
Jill with her new Moto Guzzi after passing her motorcycle test.
TOP actress Jill Halfpenny has passed her bike test and treated herself to a Moto Guzzi Griso V7 Classic.
Jill is a familiar face on the telly, having appeared in EastEnders, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road.
She was among the five celebs to take up the Get On campaign’s challenge to learn to ride a motorbike and spend a week in Lesotho in South Africa working with the Riders for Health charity delivering antiretroviral drugs.
When Jill finished her bike training she joined England cricket hero Darren Gough, TV presenter Gethin Jones and Coronation Street stars Shobna Gulati and Oliver Mellor on the trip which fuelled her desire to continue riding in Britain.
Jill said: “I was already a scooter rider before I was approached by the Get On campaign as I found it such a useful way to get through the city traffic and so much cheaper. My boyfriend rides bikes and I’d always fancied giving it a go. I think as a girl getting into biking can be a bit intimidating.
“As soon as I tried riding a geared bike I knew that riding a motorbike was something I wanted to do long term. Going to Lesotho was a once in a lifetime experience with memories I will always cherish, but one of best things to come out of it is becoming a fully-fledged biker. There are few feelings which beat the thrill of being out on a bike and on top of that it’s so much more practical in a city than a car or public transport.”
The Get On campaign is the Motor Cycle Industry’s (MCIA) official campaign to get more people onto motorbikes and scooters. The dedicated site provides a one-stop-shop on all you need to know about how to get into riding and also offers anyone aged 16 or over a free one hour taster lesson.