THIS year’s 31st Toy Run saw 98 motorbikes hit the road and a bus loaded with presents for less fortunate kids this Christmas.

Motorbike riders took off on Saturday from the Heywood Deli at 10.30am towards the Portland foreshore where the Portland Salvation Army were accepting unwrapped gifts suitable for children and teenagers.

The community came together with a great number of donations which were loaded into the back of the Salvos bus ‘Captain Sal’ or given to Squidlydids For Kids or the Heywood Deli.

The Salvos will lay these gifts out at their corps and invite parents to pick out what they believe will put a smile on their child this Christmas.

Toy Run organiser David Upton said for his last year coordinating the event, he couldn’t have asked for a better turnout.

“It looked like it was going to be a wet one, which got me worried and then about 20 minutes before we left (Heywood), it stopped, and then didn't come back, which was really good,” he said.

“I think we would have had more people if the weather had been nice right at the start because I think I spoke to a few people later who said they didn't come because of the rain.

“I thank everybody for turning up and making it what it is and what it will be, because the Salvation Army and John are going to keep it going, and hopefully we'll get bigger and bigger.

Attracting extra attention was the Emergency Services Expo and community markets on the Bentinck Street Lawns.

“The whole combination of the markets and having all the emergency services people there, it made it quite a nice atmosphere for people to come down,’ Mr Upton said.

“We raised a lot of toys, so we were pretty happy.”