BDP’s Cycle for Jo reaches Manchester

The Manchester studio of architects BDP is hosting the Manchester to Sheffield leg of the 'Tour de BDP' charity ride in memory of Jo Yeates, the landscape architect who worked in BDP's Bristol studio and who was murdered late last year.

The tour will raise money for three charities nominated by the Yeates family; Missing People, the British Red Cross and the RSPCA.

The 1,500 mile relay involving 180 participants across Europe began on 6 May and will finish 25 May. The participants for the Manchester stage will comprise of some 22 BDP staff, family and friends who will take on the 44 miles between the practice's Manchester Studio on Ducie Street and BDP's Sheffield Office on North Bank.

Peter Drummond, chief executive of BDP, said: "Cycle for Jo is our way of marking and remembering Jo's too short a life with us. And it is so fitting that the idea of a tour de BDP should come from a group of young people in the firm – the decision to dedicate it to Jo and raise money for causes that she believed in and the charity Missing People was a no-brainer."

Martin Houghton-Brown, chief executive of Missing People, said: "Over 200,000 people go missing each year. Thankfully, the vast majority come home quickly, safe and sound. Sadly, for some families, the agony of not knowing is prolonged, and through the selfless generosity of the cyclists, staff and friends of BDP, the charity Missing People will be able to be there, to be a lifeline to hundreds more families."

As part of a series marking BDP's 50th anniversary, "Cycle for Jo" will raise funds for the Missing People, British Red Cross and Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Supporters can wave them off from Ducie Street on Thursday 19 May 19 at 9.30am. The first riders are due to arrive in Sheffield at 3.30pm. Donations to the charities can be made on http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/bdp.