From From left to right: Peterborough Women's Aid's head of fundraising, Sharon Dove, and CEO, Mandy Geraghty, and Cambridgeshire Constabulary Chief Constable Nick Dean, joined by Fed member Ollie
A charity run involving a strong Cambridgeshire Police Federation contingent was a resounding success.
Team captain Sergeant Ollie Plant and fellow runner PC Joe Woolf were among 32 officers and staff from Cambridgeshire Constabulary participating in this year’s Great Eastern Run in Peterborough.
The group raised money for Peterborough Women’s Aid (PWA), a charity for women seeking refuge from high-risk domestic abuse environments.
Representatives from PWA joined friends and family in support of the runners as they took on the 13.1-mile course, which is equivalent to a half marathon.
Ollie said: “The day went as well as we could have hoped for. We had nice weather, a lot of backing from everyone in the crowd and, of course, a lot of support for each other too.
“To have such a big number of officers and staff taking part was really special – it felt like one big family and, as I have mentioned before, I think something like this reflects that closeness we have as a force. To be captain of such a brilliant team is something I’ll be proud of for a long time.
“The run went well for me personally, too – I finished with a time of 2 hours and 11 seconds but, more importantly, I managed to run continuously, which was my main target.”
Ahead of the run, which took place on Sunday 13 October, Ollie revealed there were a mixture of abilities and fitness levels across the group, with the emphasis firmly on enjoyment rather than competition.
“Everyone was loving it. You could tell there were some people who had trained together and therefore built up a connection with motivating each other through to the finish line,” added Joe, who beat his target of 2 hours with a time of 1 hour and 53 minutes.
“I had a great time and it’s definitely something I would want to be involved in again.
“I used to love weightlifting before I suffered a groin hernia but, since the injury, I have been more of a runner. I still want to get back into lifting weights, but I see no reason why I can’t keep both up, because I have enjoyed running and having this run as a focus point.”
The other central purpose of the run – to fundraise – was done in style, with the team generating a total of £6,040 for a cause held in high regard by many within the Force.
A jumbo cheque for this amount was presented to PWA by Chief Constable Nick Dean on a jumbo cheque to the charity’s CEO, Mandy Geraghty, and head of fundraising, Sharon Dove.
Also in attendance at Force Headquarters for the occasion was Ollie, who paid tribute to the charity: “PWA is an organisation which does crucial work in the communities we police. Not only is it there for women and their children in emergencies, but its advice, awareness and aftercare for victims of domestic abuse is incredible, too.
“It was an honour to be there at the cheque presentation and to raise money for the charity’s mission.
“I am so glad PWA approached the Constabulary about officers and staff taking part in the run, and I would imagine the charity is too, with 32 of us signing up to it – it was a fantastic idea which benefited everyone involved,” he ended.
