If you ever visit our specialist unit at Turnchapel one of the first things you will notice are the carefully cultivated gardens surrounding the hospice building.
Every Wednesday a group of 6 volunteers have been giving up their time to dedicate some care and love to our gardens, keeping them pruned, de-weeded and full of life. Their hard work creates a peaceful, welcoming space for patients, families and staff to enjoy – a place where nature offers comfort and calm during difficult times.
Sean Holland and Ben Connex are taking on an epic adventure: riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back – a staggering 3,200 miles – on learner-legal 125cc motorcycles!
This challenge is in memory of Sean’s brother, Colin, an avid motorcyclist, who was cared for by St Luke’s.
Sean and Ben met back in 1998 on the Southwest clubbing scene and have since become firm friends and fellow riders.
“We have always shared a love for two wheels and when the clubbing stopped, we became born again cyclists,” said Sean, Creative Director at NexPay, our card payment provider for all our shops.
Step up for each other, stride out for hospice care – St Luke’s Men’s Day Out is back for 2026!
Walk with us on Saturday 14 March 2026 and show families in our community they’re not alone. By joining the mass of big-hearted men marching through Plymouth, you’ll help bring St Luke’s compassionate, expert care to those who need it most.
Clinical Nurse Specialist Jamie Jennings has made it a hat trick for St Luke’s after receiving the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse.
It’s a title currently held by only 3,000 nurses in the UK – including St Luke’s Nurse Consultant Jen Nicholls and Clinical Nurse Specialist Debbie Hutchinson – and it represents a commitment to the highest standards of patient care, learning and leadership.
At the tail end of our Tour de Moor you will find some of our volunteers with a very important job…sweeping the route.
Paul Cunningham or ‘Yorkie’ as he is known among friends is one of the friendly faces behind the final rider at our annual cycling event across Dartmoor. His job is to ensure that no riders are left behind, keeping the event running smoothly and in the right direction!
Originally from Halifax in West Yorkshire, he came to Plymouth in 1977 when he joined the Navy and stayed here ever since. The 71-year-old is now happily retired and enjoys volunteering his time and skills each year for St Luke’s.
He said: “I can’t really remember how long I’ve been ‘sweeping’ on Tour De Moor, pretty much from the outset. I do it with my friends Steve and Lee who have been good riding friends for a number of years and Lee is also a fully trained bike mechanic so he’s a good person to be riding alongside – as well as them both being superb friends.”
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.”
“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!”
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.
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.
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.
