Following a very successful event in 2024, the LeicesterShire Historic Churches Trust is encouraging people to sign up to take part in the 2025 edition of Ride+Stride.
Taking place on Saturday 13th September 2025, Ride+Stride is a Church Open Day and a sponsored event for cyclists, walkers, joggers, runners, horse-riders and mobility scooter drivers. People can also be sponsored as a welcomer on duty in a church.
This annual fundraising event helps raise money for repairs and improvements to historic churches, chapels and meeting houses throughout Leicester and Leicestershire.
Having celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024, the LeicesterShire Historic Churches Trust successfully raised £42,769 through last year’s Ride+Stride, marking an almost 15% increase on the amount raised in 2023.
Every year, 50% of sponsorship money goes to the church or chapel chosen by participants, with the other 50% going to the LeicesterShire Historic Churches Trust. The Trust uses its share of the funds raised for grants to churches and chapels for repair, restoration and improvement projects.
Anybody wanting to take part in Ride+Stride plans their own route (which may cross county borders) using the List of Churches and Chapels (more than 300!) that are intending to open on the day, and which will be uploaded to the LHCT website in August.
Riders and Striders can ask relations, friends and colleagues to sponsor them. This could be in the form of a particular amount for each church or chapel they visit between 10.00am and 6.00pm on the day, or a lump sum. This is recorded on a sponsor form and interested parties can take part for as long or short a time, within the day, as is convenient for them.
“Ride+Stride is a fantastic way to not only support the amazing church buildings and chapels present across Leicestershire, but also visit and enjoy them up close over the course of one day,” said Janet Arthur MBE, Chair of LHCT. “It’s clear that more and more people are taking the opportunity to do this, which is thrilling for us. We are really hopeful that we will be able to build on recent momentum around Ride+Stride and see a further increase in funds raised in 2025!”
For more information and to sign your church up for Ride+Stride, please visit www.lhct.org.uk/ride-and-stride.
