Mike Pullin has helped raised £700,000 for St Michael's Hospice

Mike Pullin founded motorcycle group the Hospice Angels 20 years ago and has since taken part in hundreds of fundraising events on behalf of St Michael’s Hospice.

These include three solo parachute jumps and 10 skydives, the most recent coming last year, just weeks before his 86th birthday.

Mike acknowledged that £700,000 is a big figure to reach and joked: “It’s taken 20 years to do it.”

The 87-year-old’s fundraising adventures have taken him to 19 countries and to six of Herefordshire’s twin towns, including Ledbury’s twin town, Strömstad in Sweden.

Mike after one of his fundraising skydives

Mike, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2012 for his fundraising efforts, said the skydives have raised £82,000.

But not all of his fundraising schemes have been quite so high-octane.

A donation of jigsaw puzzles a few years ago turned into what is now a regular fundraiser for the hospice.

“There’s a couple in Ledbury who put jigsaws outside their house for people to come along and buy and I once met someone in a layby outside Ledbury to collect dozens of boxes of them,” said Mike.

“Just from the sale of jigsaws we’ve raised more than £3,000 over the years.”

Mike also does talks for local groups - he’s visited more than 190 in total across Herefordshire - and shows the films he makes of the various trips he’s been on.

Most recently he showed Frank’s Journey, which is about a trip from Ledbury to London with a horse called Frank in 2002, and a film about a visit to Strömstad in 2006, at the Market Theatre.

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“I’d put a bucket by the exit and a woman came up to me saying ‘I’ve put a cheque in there, I hope you don’t mind’,” said Mike.

“When I got home I counted up what was in the bucket - there was £150 in notes and a cheque for £10,000.

“I’ve met so many generous people and they seem to trust me - one person ran after me in the street and gave me £1,000.

“But it’s not about me - it’s about all the people out there giving the money. I just want to thank them.”

Mike is helping to organise collections on December 9 in Ledbury, December 16 in Leominster and December 23 in Hereford’s High Town.

Rachel Jones, director of income generation, marketing and communications at St Michael's Hospice, said: "There can’t be many who haven’t heard of, or met, Mike Pullin.

"For more than 25 years, he has selflessly dedicated his time to support St Michael’s Hospice.

"Over the years, he has travelled the length and breadth of the country, and even abroad, spreading the word of St Michael’s to anyone he meets. On behalf of everyone here, we would like to thank Mike for his sterling work and continued dedication. 

"He will undoubtedly say it’s not just his efforts which have seen the Angels raise their incredible figure to date, but without his drive, determination and tenacity, the group might not have been quite so successful."