Police Unity Tour will be extra poignant, says Federation secretary

22 July 2024

Nottinghamshire Police Federation secretary Tom Hill says the Police Unity Tour (PUT) will take on added poignancy as the riders remember Sergeant Graham Saville.

This year’s PUT is the first since Graham’s death in August last year and Tom said he will be at the forefront of people’s thoughts, along with Nottinghamshire colleagues PC Ashleigh Metcalf and PC Scott Redgate.

Tom said: “It’s a poignant year for us being the first one since Graham died in the line of duty, and we’ve also lost Ashleigh and Scott. They will be in everyone’s thoughts.

“This is the first year I’ve done it. It’s going to be moving with the events of the past year, I’m looking forward to taking part ride and doing my bit.”

Now in its 12th year, the PUT raises money for the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) charity which provides peer support for the families of fallen officers. The tour takes place this week, from Friday 26 July to Sunday 28 July, and honours those officers who have died in the line of duty.

Supporting each other

The Nottinghamshire Police contingent is made up of 28 cyclists including Chief Constable Kate Meynell.

They will be joined in the East Midlands Chapter by colleagues from Derbyshire, Leicestershire and, for the first time, Lincolnshire.

Among the 71 riders in the East Midlands Chapter will be Leicestershire Chief Constable Rob Nixon Lincolnshire Chief Constable Paul Gibson.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Lefford, a Federation member who leads the Nottinghamshire contingent, said: “It’s great to have three chiefs riding with us. There are some really keen cyclists but there are also some who are cycling for the first time.

“It’s not a race in any shape or form and we do it as a team, as a chapter, and supporting each other, which is brilliant.

“Day 1 alone for the Nottinghamshire riders is 90 miles, so a long day in the saddle on the Friday.”

Riders taking part in the Graham Saville Charity Bike Ride. Tom Hill is fifth from the left.

The Nottinghamshire ride starts at Force Headquarters on Friday morning and heads out to Newark. After 46 miles, it returns to HQ to meet the riders from the three other East Midlands forces for lunch. After lunch there is a memorial service at which the Chief Constable will lay a wreath on behalf of the Force and branch chair Simon Riley will lay one on behalf of the Federation.

The whole chapter will then make its way to Leicestershire for the end of Day 1.

Remembrance service

Each rider cycles in memory of an officer. They are given a metal wrist band with the officer’s name on it, date of birth, the force they were from and the date on which they died. Chief Constable Meynell will wear a wrist band dedicated to Graham.

On Day 2 of the ride,  police chapters from across the UK meet up at the Snow Dome in Tamworth. They then cycle to Drayton Manor together to meet the bereaved families of fallen officers who will be there as part of the COPS survivor weekend event in preparation for the service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum, where the ride finishes Sunday morning. The cyclists present their band to the family of their officer. 

“It’s an emotional event ,” said Paul. “We lost Ged Walker in 2003 and this year marks his 21st anniversary. Ged’s wife and children are avid supporters of COPS and ride the PUT every year. They’re doing it again this year. They are an inspiration to us all.

“It’s an opportunity to make sure that those officers who make the ultimate sacrifice are never forgotten.”

Tom and Paul took part in a 50-mile Nottinghamshire cycling event last Saturday in memory of Graham. They were joined by Graham’s wife, Jo, and some of his family and friends.

Fundraiser

The route began at Force Headquarters and headed to Ravenshead, where Graham coached a football team, then to Southwell where he lived, and Newark where he worked.

Paul said: “His children set up a little refreshment stand, which was fantastic.”

Tom added: “It was a fundraiser for COPS and we were able to invite more people to take part.”

The day concluded with a fundraising event hosted by Mansfield Town, which included a charity auction. In total, it raised in excess of £10,200 for COPS.

“It was a really good event,” said Paul.

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