Hundreds of generous-spirited cyclists pedalled with a purpose on Sunday to make this year’s St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth’s Tour de Moor bike challenge a memorable and successful occasion.
Wearing striking orange branded T-shirts, more than 900 riders turned the wild landscape of Dartmoor into a thrilling two-wheeler spectacle while raising vital funds to support the charity’s compassionate end-of-life care for local people and their families.
When 13-year-old Joseph realised that he wouldn’t be able to make it to our Tour de Moor ride on Sunday, he didn’t let disappointment slow him down. Instead, he took on the challenge a week early, determined not to miss out on the event he had been looking forward to all year.
Avid bike lover, Joseph Florey, from Sherford, took part in our Tour de Moor with his dad for the first time last year. He loved it so much that he couldn’t wait to do it all over again this year and so signed up as soon as possible.
However unfortunately, he is due to undergo an operation just before the big day, meaning he would miss this year’s event. But Joseph was not going to let that stop him from completing the challenge. He got out on his bike at the weekend and battled the weather to ride the 11km route and has raised more than £100 in the process.
At just five years old, Lenny Harrison from Plympton is gearing up for a challenge that’s bigger than most children his age would dream of – taking part in the 11km Mini-Moor route of our Tour de Moor. Not only that, but he has already raised over £1,300 for St Luke’s and he hasn’t even crossed the start line yet.
Lenny, who turned five in April, lives with his mum and dad, Mica and Dan, and his older brother Parker, who’s nine. He has recently discovered a love for cycling that’s taken off in a big way.
“Although he’s been great on a balance bike for a while,” says Dan, “he only really became confident on his current bike around April or May this year. But now it’s clicked, we just can’t keep him off it!”
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.”
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.
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?
More than 1,000 cyclists saddled up on Sunday for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth’s thrilling Tour de Moor challenge across Dartmoor, riding as one to raise funds for the charity’s compassionate end-of-life care.
Community-spirited riders wearing distinctive branded T-shirts, turned the moor blue in support of the vital services St Luke’s provides for local families affected by terminal illness.
Every time Harry Stevens and his family drove past the Tour de Moor billboard he would always ask to take part, desperate to join the experienced cyclists as they took on the epic rides across Dartmoor, but always being just a little bit too young for the longer routes.
Finally, for the first time, it is Harry’s time to ride, the now 9-year-old can ride alongside his dad on our adventurer style 28km route on Sunday.
