Police Unity Tour.
Cambridgeshire’s ride lead for the upcoming Police Unity Tour says the team are preparing for an ‘inspirational yet emotional’ weekend marking fallen officers on the 120-mile bike journey.
Detective Inspector Caroline Scully will guide the group for the sixth time, having first done so in 2018 without any previous experience of the ride.
10 riders, along with three support staff, will represent the county in the 2024 edition of the Tour from Friday (26 July) to Sunday (28 July).
“We have a mixture of new and returning riders, including two survivors from Hertfordshire whose dad and husband, PC Bruce Lister, died on duty last year,” said Caroline.
“They have both shown great dedication to the ride already, buying bikes just to take part. Bruce was a fantastic person and a well-respected officer, and I’m honoured that his family are joining us on the tour this year.”
The team are aiming to raise funds and awareness for the Care of Police Survivors (COPS), a charity who provide care and support for the bereaved families of police officers who have lost their lives. The tour has been held for each of the last 12 years in support of COPS and is completed by police staff and supporters from across the country.
COPS was founded in 2003 by the late Jim McNulty, a detective from Strathclyde Police, and Christine Fulton MBE, whose police officer husband died on duty in 1994. After losing a friend who worked as a police lieutenant in the US, Jim was moved by a national memorial service in Washington DC and subsequently began efforts to hold a similar event in the UK.
The charity cares for survivor relatives in a variety of ways, including by bringing them together with other grieving families through peer support opportunities and by offering access to counselling and specialist bereavement services.
Caroline continued: “It’s hard to put into words what the tour means to everyone. It’s a real emotional release where we have the opportunity to honour fallen officers who are always at the forefront of our minds. It’s so important we commemorate these members of the police family who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
“It’s also an opportunity to support the amazing work COPS do for the loved ones of those no longer with us.”
The tour concludes at the National Memorial Arboretum in Lichfield, Staffordshire, to coincide with the COPS’ Annual Service of Remembrance. The memorial park is a national site of remembrance and provides riders a chance to pay their respects to fallen colleagues at the end of their ride.
In keeping with the team’s traditions, Cambridgeshire’s riders will carry a photo of a late officer with them along their journey, together with a metal wristband displaying the date their respective officer died.
As with previous years, the team will also meet with the families of these late cops on the Saturday and Sunday of the ride, joining together at the Arboretum service.
PC Jessica (Jess) Thompson, riding for the second time after making her Tour debut last year, says the service is a poignant way to end proceedings.
“What I witnessed for the first time last year was just incredible. Police staff from all over the country come together, and we’re all there for one reason – to remember those who have given their lives for the Force,” she said.
“I have a daughter, and to know something like that is in place for her if the worst was to happen to me is a very moving feeling.
“It’s just amazing to be part of.”
Jess also spoke about the officer she will be riding in tribute to on the journey.
“My photo and band will be marking PC Jon Henry, as they did last year. Jon was an officer at Bedfordshire Police who I never personally met but have only heard good things about from a colleague in my department who worked with him,” she added.
“I know he was an incredible man and officer, and he will never be forgotten. When parts of the ride got tough last year, I looked down at his picture on my handlebar, and it willed me on.”
Caroline revealed that fundraising efforts in the run-up to the tour are progressing well. They have so far included cake sales, football scratchcards, and an auction featuring a signed boxing glove from WBA Featherweight Champion Leigh Wood at an international policing event earlier this month.
Each rider has an individual fundraising target of £400, with all monies grouped together and forwarded to COPS after the ride is complete.
Caroline placed on record her thanks for the continuous support of the team.
“It has certainly given us a boost, and we’ll be in good spirits when we set off on the Friday. We have to cover a fair distance, and it won’t be easy, but the most important thing is to commemorate those members of the police family,” she ended.
Team Cambridgeshire will depart from Police HQ at 9am on Friday and have encouraged staff to get down to reception and wave them off as they embark on day one of the Unity Tour.
Federation members can donate to the team by visiting their JustGiving page.