Police Unity Tour gets underway

19 August 2022

A memorial service was held before the cyclists set off.

Cyclists from Nottinghamshire Police were today setting off on the 2022 Police Unity Tour (PUT) ride.

The Nottinghamshire riders are part of the East Midlands Chapter alongside fellow officers and staff from Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

The team is led by Sarah Stables, who is also president of the East Midlands Chapter, and features Ben Skellern, Jeremy Gascoyne, Paul James Lefford, Gavin Berry, Feron Thomas, Christophe Sutton, Liam Thacker, Matthew Rogers, Melissa Evans, Simon O’Connor and Neil Waugh.

Rebecca and Matthew Walker, whose father PC Ged Walker was killed on duty in 2003 when he was dragged 100 yards as he tried to take the keys from a stolen taxi, are also riding with the Nottinghamshire team in memory of their Dad.

They were setting off on their 180-mile challenge in their home county before following a hilly route into the heart of Derbyshire before stopping off at Ripley for a service of remembrance and wreath laying.

The team was then heading south into Leicestershire where they will stay overnight before cycling into Staffordshire tomorrow morning for a full day in the saddle before meeting up at Drayton Manor Park.

On Sunday, all PUT chapters  from across England and Wales will ride to the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, Staffs, ahead of the Care of Police Survivors (COPS)  memorial service attended by fallen officers’ families, chief officers, Federation officials and other policing partners.

The PUT ride is now in its 10th year and as usual is raising funds for COPS as well as increasing awareness and honouring police officers who have died in the line of duty.

Last year’s event was the first physical ride in two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic but saw the £1 million milestone hit for the amount raised for COPS since the inaugural ride.

Supporters who want to make a donation can do so via the East Midlands Chapter’s JustGiving page.