Cycle challenge across the moor

DERRIFORD Hospital spinal surgeons and former patients will tackle a charity cycle challenge across Dartmoor.

Top spinal specialists from the region, former patients, family and friends will take part in the Dartmoor Cycle Challenge on May 27.

LAUNCH: David Chapple, second left, is joined by fellow spinal surgeons from the region to launch the Dartmoor Cycle Challenge in aid of Horatio's Garden, a rehabilitation garden at the Spinal Centre in Salisbury. Tim Germon is on the far right

Cyclists are invited to join the three-distance event which starts and finishes at Ashburton.

People with spinal cord injury will be able to participate thanks to all-terrain wheelchairs provided by Mountain Trike.

Organised by the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, the challenge will raise money for Horatio's Garden. The pioneering rehabilitation garden is planned for the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury, the region's specialist spinal unit.

It is named after Eton schoolboy Horatio Chapple, who died following a horrific polar bear attack in Norway last year. Horatio had planned to study medicine and was a volunteer at the treatment centre.

The cycle will include a 61-mile route for experienced cyclists, a 21-mile ride and a one-mile loop for wheelchair users and younger children.

Registration for adults costs £30 with a minimum sponsorship target of £50. Entry for wheelchair users is £10. More information is available on www.ssit.org.uk