Peterborough musician cycled the distance from city centre to Germany for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall hospice.

Luke Allport took on the mammoth challenge of cycling 20km a day throughout November to raise money for Sue Ryder. 
Luke (33) cycled a whopping 640km, the equivalent of 400 miles and raised almost £800 for the hospice. 
Luke, a musician from Peterborough, cycled further than Peterborough to Paris or Frankfut in Germany! Come rain or shine, Luke hit his goal on an exercise bike so he could reach the goal without any obstacles or extreme winter weather.

Having had personal experience of friends with family members who have been cared for at Thorpe Hall hospice, this fundraiser was especially important for him. A loyal supporter of the charity, Luke and fellow members of his band The Contacts have fundraised before for them. His latest challenge saw him raise another £775 which could pay for 37 hours of expert palliative care by Sue Ryder.

Luke said: “I do have quite a busy life. I play in a band, I also have my day job, and I’ve got two children. It wasn’t always easy finding the time to fit the cycling in.

“However, it was a constant consideration during the month – at what point in the day am I going to do the cycling? In fact, my partner and I went away to Leeds to watch a band and stayed over. I had to get up the following morning and go and use the hotel gym to make sure I did my 20km!”

When Luke hit the halfway point, he set his sights on a new goal – which was to finish a 20km cycle in under 30 minutes.

He achieved this and was especially proud of himself.

He said: “I’ve never really done anything like this before. I never thought I’d take on this kind of challenge as exercise has never really been ‘my thing’ but I’m very proud of myself for doing so!

“It was a bit of a struggle some days and I’m very much looking forward to a couple of days of going nowhere near a bike! However, the support from everyone and the desire to support this great cause kept me motivated to complete this challenge!”

With his sights originally set on raising £200, Luke credits his supporters for keeping him motivated during the month. 
He said:“When I finished the challenge, I felt really pleased. To reach nearly £800 was brilliant. It could pay for around 37 hours of expert care from the wonderful Sue Ryder teams. I was really pleased to achieve that.”

Helen Kingston, Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, said: “We are extremely grateful to Luke. He is a very loyal, committed supporter of Sue Ryder and we cannot thank him enough for his latest fundraising efforts. We are amazed at how dedicated Luke was throughout the entire month of November, cycling 20km per day – no matter how busy he was, he ensured he reached his daily goal. The money he has raised will make a huge difference to helping us sustain our end-of-life care services, so we appreciate every last penny. On behalf of everyone at the hospice, we want to say thank you so much.

“If you are inspired by Luke’s story, we are searching for other super supporters who can take part in fundraising challenges in 2022. If you fancy hopping on a bike, our exciting cycling challenges include Ride London-Essex and the London to Brighton Bike Ride. Our hospice’s fundraising team would love to hear from you - you can reach us via email at [email protected] or call 01733 225 999.”

For more information or to donate to Luke’s fundraiser, please visit https://justgiving.com/fundraising/luke-allport

Find out more about the London to Brighton Bike Ride at www.sueryder.org/support-us/fundraise/events/london-to-brighton-bike-ride-2022

For more information, contact The PHA Group: [email protected]