Federation members can now register for the 2025 Police Unity Tour (PUT) as Northamptonshire chapter lead Simon Randall urged riders to sign up before all spaces are taken.

 

 

Participants from around the country are already gearing up to cycle hundreds of miles to commemorate police officers who have died in the line of duty and raise money and awareness for the Care of Police Survivors (COPS).

 

COPS is a charity which is there to support the families of fallen officers as they adjust to life without their loved ones, offering them peer support opportunities and access to counselling and specialist bereavement services.

 

Survivors themselves are able to ride in the PUT, in addition to many members of the force who do so year in, year out. Northamptonshire’s chapter already has healthy numbers for this year’s event, with serving and retired officers and current police staff set to be involved.

 

Preparing for his eighth year as its captain, Simon said: “We seem to be going really big for the PUT this time around and we are very excited about that. General interest has been high for months, shown by the fact we will have our biggest number of support staff ever.

 “The PUT is always a highlight on the policing calendar because it encapsulates the value we put on working hard as a team and staying together.

 

“And of course, it never stops being important to remember the colleagues we have lost along the way. We will never forget them, and through the work of COPS, we can make sure their families are never forgotten either.

 

“Without COPS, I don’t think these families would be where they are today, in terms of the bespoke support and care they receive in grief. It’s truly an incredible charity.”

 

Simon confirmed the chapter will go along a familiar route for the 2025 PUT, setting off from Force headquarters on the Friday morning and embarking on a ‘tour of Northamptonshire’, including a usual stop-off at Rushden Lakes.

The group will then pass through the likes of Market Harborough and Drayton Manor theme park – where they will meet up with a number of survivor families – before finishing at the National Memorial Arboretum in Lichfield, Staffordshire, where the weekend will conclude with COPS’ Annual Service of Remembrance, as with PUT tradition.

 

Among the officers set to be honoured are PC Andrew Harper – who Simon himself will ride in tribute to – and Northamptonshire Police’s PC Alex Prentice and Sergeant Paul Keeney.

 

Simon continued: “Due to interest prior to the registration window opening, we are at a point where places on the chapter for 2025 are already limited.

 

“But there are still some up for grabs, so if you are considering getting involved, please join as soon as you can.

 

“Whether you’re experienced or completely new to cycling, we really encourage anyone to sign up. Everyone supports each other all the way, and we will have practice rides in the spring and early summer to get you bedded in.

 

“As captain, I would like to say a big thank-you as always for all the support and participation given to the PUT – it means a great deal.”

 

Federation members can register online to be part of this year’s PUT.

 

An entry fee subsidised by the Force to £100 is available for the Northamptonshire chapter, and this gives riders a Police Unity Tour cycling jersey, a wristband engraved with a fallen officer’s name, and two nights’ accommodation and cycling support on the road across the weekend.

 

You can also donate to the chapter – that raised over £8,000 for COPS in the 2024 PUT – on its JustGiving page.