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BLOG: Family on wheels: Meet Ellis and mum Katie

You may have spotted eight-year-old Ellis Jenkins out and about on our Tour de Moor posters this year.
An avid cyclist, Ellis completed the Tour de Moor last year with is mum Katie in memory of his grandad and he is set to do it all again this year.
Whatever the weather, Ellis, from Modbury, can be found out riding his bike. With a love for Harry Potter, tractors, and his latest hobby – learning to skateboard – Ellis will give anything a go. He’s also a keen rugby player and a member of the Beavers, and when it comes to cycling, there’s no stopping him.
Ellis took part in our Tour de Moor last year for the first time and since then, he has been excited to do it all over again, putting his gears to the test.
Katie said: “I’ve been doing spin for a few years now and it has definitely helped me keep up with him! We are an outdoorsy family and try to get outside as much as possible. We cycle the lanes and take his bike to some of the fields near us and he loves going downhill really fast and will cycle back up again! We go to the local pump tracks with his friends, which he loves, and to Haldon Forest to do the bike trails and pump tracks there.”

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BLOG: Pete’s Ironman tribute to his brother David

“Supporting St Luke’s through the Ironman feels like the closest thing I can offer to a thank-you note.”

Pete Thacker completed the Leeds Ironman last week – consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run – in memory of his brother David, who was cared for by St Luke’s back in 2023.

Pete, from Otley, near Leeds is a self-described “keen albeit rather slow cyclist and runner”. He decided to take on his second Ironman in Leeds on July 27, completing it in a fantastic 13 hours and16 minutes.

“I completed my first Ironman around twelve years ago, but the body is older now and responding to training in slightly more painful ways than it did back then! That said, there’s nothing quite like the sense of achievement when you cross the finish line whether you run, walk or crawl over it. There’s a strange enjoyment in pushing yourself to that point. When you come into the transition area for the second time to start the run, someone always says, ‘last bit now’ but what they don’t mention is that the last bit is a full marathon!”

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BLOG: Smart new look, same local mission: St Luke’s unveils its refurbished charity shop in the heart of Tavistock

Already a favourite fixture for value, variety and sustainable shopping, St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth’s charity shop in Tavistock town centre has relaunched with a brand-new look. The fresh design and layout are designed to keep customers flocking in to browse and buy in support of local hospice care.

Following its three-week closure for the full-scale transformation, the shop once again opened its doors on Wednesday 23 July, welcoming bargain-hunters keen to check out the new interior and stock. Gone are the familiar orange décor and dated shelving, replaced by smart purple walls and contemporary black furnishings.

There to cut the ribbon was St Luke’s community team, part of our dedicated service looking after patients at home so that they can receive bespoke end-of-life care in their own familiar surroundings, close to loved ones.

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BLOG: Global Learning: How a Gibraltar nurse is bringing St Luke’s learning to life

Here at St Luke’s, our services go beyond hands-on care. One important strand to our work is educating and empowering people in what good end of life care looks like.
Daniella Bright is our first overseas student studying our online module titled ‘Enhancing end of life care and palliative care practice’ in collaboration with the University of Plymouth. The aim of the module is to enable health and social care practitioners to develop a critical and reflective approach to caring for those living and dying with a life-limiting condition.
Daniella has been using her learning to assist her in her role as a Night Sister at St Bernard’s Hospital in Gibraltar, where she has been working since qualifying as a Staff Nurse back in 2013. Prior to her role as Night Sister, she was the Charge Nurse of the hospital’s Rehabilitation Ward.

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BLOG: Making memories matter: Walking midnight miles for hospice care

Big-hearted walkers wore sunny smiles and vibrant pink T-shirts as they strode through the city’s streets on Friday (11 July), celebrating precious memories of much-missed family members and friends, while raising funds to support the compassionate care St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth delivers.
The charity’s annual, family-friendly Midnight Walk attracted an incredible 1,125 entrants taking on a choice of four routes – 2.5, five, 7.5 and 13.5 miles (the equivalent of a half marathon) – making it accessible for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

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BLOG: Age is no barrier for Jean and Bernie

Age is no barrier when it comes to our Midnight Walkers. At 78 and 87, Jean Turfkruyer and Bernie Massey will be some of our oldest participants at our Midnight Walk on Friday, but the friends are not letting their age stop them from taking part and making a difference.

Jean and Bernie are two of our Compassionate Friends who volunteer at our Friends in the Park Compassionate Café at the Well Being Hub at Central Park.

The pair first met four years ago when the café was first set up for members of the community who are experiencing loss, bereavement or maybe affected by life limiting illness to meet.

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BLOG: Our Plymstock Bookshop is back bigger, better and bursting with books!

We officially reopened our beloved Plymstock Bookshop in its brand-new home on The Broadway Plymstock on Monday— and who better to cut the ribbon than The Gruffalo himself!

Rosie and Sophie, two of our very first visitors, were thrilled to meet our special guest.

Over the past year, we’ve sold more than 27,000 books to 16,300 customers — all from under 200 square feet! Now, we’ve quadrupled our space to welcome even more book lovers and stories.

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BLOG: Walking our Midnight Walk in memory of David

It will be cherished memories spurring on the friends and loved ones of ‘family man’ David Hambly at our Midnight Walk on Friday 11 July, as they will be celebrating his life after he sadly died earlier this month.

Louise Peters’ very good friend David, 46, was being cared for by St Luke’s in his final days. In honour of his memory and as a way of saying thank you to St Luke’s for the care he and his wife and two children received, Louise will be completing the 5 mile walk along with lots of friends, colleagues and one of David’s brothers and his family, including his young niece.

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BLOG: Pam’s pony visit brings back special memories

When our care teams look after patients, they get to know them on a personal level, understanding their interests and learning about their backgrounds, to make sure the care they receive is personalised and unique to them.

When Health Care Assistant Lynn Collins got to know Pam Appleby when visiting as part of our community team, she learnt of her lifelong love of horses and started thinking of how she could give Pam some special lasting memories to help brighten her days.

What resulted was a visit from two ponies from Dartmoor Carriages called Peanut and Wizzle to Pam’s front garden this week.

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BLOG: Our Tour de Moor is back for 2025

It’s bold, it’s brave, it’s big-hearted and it’s the best fun you can have on a bike while backing your local hospice. Yes, St Luke’s ever-popular Tour de Moor cycle event returns on Sunday 28 September 2025. Are you ready to get on your bike and join us to embrace the mud, sweat and gears of this exhilarating cycling experience in the wilds of beautiful Dartmoor?

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