A Holmfirth mum has turned fundraiser for Kirkwood Hospice following the care her son received at the end of his life.

Jude Sellmeyer and friend Martin Lynn raised £1,565 with an epic motorcycle ride across Europe in memory of Jude’s son Jody de Vos, who sadly died from motor neurone disease (MND) last year, aged just 38.

Riding on a Yamaha XJR motorbike, the pair travelled through nine countries and across 16 borders in just 10 days.

Michaela Statham, manager at the Kirkwood Hospice shop in Holmfirth, heard about Jude’s story and decided to get involved.

Friends Jude and Martin set off on a fundraising challenge with a difference - motrorcycling across Europe

Michaela and a team of staff and volunteers set up a special window display to mark Jude and Jody’s story and included even the smallest details of their lives – right down to a bag of Maltesers which were Jody’s favourite chocolate.

The window display got local people talking and resulted in £120 in donations from passers-by who were touched by Jude’s story.

Jude is now keen to raise awareness of both MND and work of the hospice at Dalton.

She said: “Jody loved to travel. He was very spontaneous and loved the sunshine so I immediately thought of a trip around Europe. Every turn of the wheel and every border crossed, Jody was with me.

Jude's son Jody, who received end of life care at Kirkwood Hospice before his death aged just 38

“Jody was incredibly brave, incredibly courageous and he always had a smile on his face. As hard as it is to tell my story, what motivates me to carry on each day is Jody.

“There’s so many things that go on in the hospice that people don’t know about and I don’t think people realise how lucky we are to have Kirkwood Hospice in our community.

“The perception is that hospices are just for cancer, but there’s so much more. The hospice is there for any life-limiting illness, at any age and that’s the message we need to get out there.

“If we didn’t have the hospice in Jody’s care journey I don’t know where we would have been. Since Jody died they have continued to be immensely supportive and given me so much more than they realise. Kirkwood has been, and still is, my lifeline.”