HUNDREDS of scooter enthusiasts are set to return to a popular seaside town this summer after nearly 40 years.

The National Scooter Rally, organised by South West Scooter Clubs, is due to be held in Weymouth from July 15 – 17. This new date comes after the rally was originally arranged to be held in 2020 but was subsequently cancelled due to the pandemic.

With the event expecting to attract ‘a thousand or so’ attendees, the rally will provide a boost to the town’s economy with businesses such as hotels, bars, restaurants, and other amenities being used across the weekend.

Andy Greenslade, event organiser for South West Scooter Clubs, said: “So here we are after years of attempting to sort stuff out at Weymouth. Changes to capacity in a venue meant we could finally make a national size event work and have a new town for the national scooter rally.

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“The last time a rally was held in Weymouth was way back in 1983, a mere 37 years before this return.”

Entertainment and live music will take place across various locations in Weymouth - the Weymouth Pavilion will be the main venue for the weekend and is set to host the Friday and Saturday night dos. The Gloucester seafront pub will run as the soul room for both of the nights and Weymouth and Portland Rugby Club is set to be turned into a campsite.

Mr Greenslade added: “We had been looking for a new town for an event as we had been running our July rally in Exmouth for many years and thought it was time for a change. When the Pavilion agreed to let us use various rooms there as a solus venue. The Gloucester pub on the seafront came onboard as well so we had enough capacity to run the event in Weymouth.

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“The rally demographic is mainly made up of over 50’s nowadays and a rally can be a great boost to a town’s economy with people using the hotels, bars, restaurants and other amenities all weekend.

“It’s great to be coming back to Weymouth, it’s a great town.”