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Reporter rides Tour de France route for hospice fund

A regional daily reporter took to the road on Sunday to cycle the Yorkshire leg of the Tour de France in aid of his newspaper’s long-running appeal.

The Yorkshire Evening Post originally launched its ‘Half and Half’ appeal to raise cash for two local hospices in 1982 and it is thought to be the longest-running newspaper fundraising campaign in the country.

The Leeds-based title is aiming to raise £3m to be split evenly between the St Gemma’s Hospices and Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice in the city and the fund is currently standing at £2.8m.

Now YEP reporter Jonny Brown has helped do his it by cycling the 190km-long Stage One of the Tour De France which will take place in the county on 5-6 July.


Jonny, pictured above, has been designated as Tour de France reporter for the YEP and its sister paper, The Yorkshire Post, ahead of next month’s event.

Despite last riding a bike as a teenager, Jonny decided to get back in the saddle after launching our Yorkshire-wide ‘Let’s Get Cycling’ campaign and has been charting his rigorous training in a YEP column every Saturday.

He said: “We’ve been encouraging people to get on their bikes, so I thought ‘if we’re asking people to ride, then so should I’. I’ve been training by riding on a static bike and out on the roads for three and a half months, gradually increasing the distance of my rides.

The hospices are a cause close to Jonny’s heart after his mother was cared for at Pendleside Hospice in Burnley before her death in June last year.

He added:  “I’ve experienced the incredible work UK hospices do in caring for those with serious illnesses, as my own mum was cared for in a hospice.

“That’s definitely given me extra motivation to get on the bike in aid of a great cause.”

You can sponsor Jonny or make a donation at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/YEPHalfandHalfAppeal