In Yorkshire, following the success of the Yorkshire leg of the Tour de France, Ride+Stride has been re-named the ‘Tour d’Eglises’ (Tour of Churches).
Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, and Patron of the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust said, "We all saw how beautiful Yorkshire looked as the Tour de France riders raced their way through our towns, cities and countryside. Now the Tour d’Eglises is offering friends and family a chance to visit some of the region’s wonderful churches, and to help raise funds to preserve them for future generations.”
Ride+Stride aims to raise £1.5 million to help safeguard the future of England’s historic churches, chapels and meeting houses.
With the Church of England’s 12,500 listed churches alone facing an estimated repair backlog of £60 million*, the money raised by Ride+Stride is a vital lifeline to many places of worship unable to afford the high cost of looking after buildings that are often several hundreds of years old. *(Figure quoted by Sir Tony Baldry MP, The Second Church Estates Commissioner, House of Commons, 12 June 2014)
Ride+Stride is a sponsored bike ride or walk discovering England’s heritage of churches, chapels and meeting houses. From Northumbria to Yorkshire and Cumbria to Kent, Riders+Striders raise money for their favourite church or chapel and also for the local church trust in the county in which they take part.
Ride+Stride started in Suffolk in 1981 and was soon taken up in other English counties. It has now raised over £29 million to help maintain and restore churches and chapels.
There are more details at www.ridestrideuk.org.uk and www.yhct.org.uk/news/ride-stride-2014/