Family take on challenge in memory of former sergeant
28 September 2022
The family of former West Midlands Police Sergeant John Rollason is preparing to climb Snowdon in his memory after he died following a three-year battle with motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 60.
On Saturday 8 October, the weekend that would have been John’s 62nd birthday, his daughters Laura and Ann-Marie, along with Ann-Marie’s husband, police officer Dan Fox and 10 others, will be climbing more than 1,000 metres to raise money for the MND Association.
Their fundraising efforts come just over a year after father-of-two and grandfather-of-three John died in May 2021, having been diagnosed with the disease back in 2018.
“Prior to his diagnosis, Dad was a very fit and active man, which was probably one of the worst things about him living with the disease - it took away his independence and stopped him from doing the things he loved, like running or playing golf,” said 33-year-old Laura Rollason, who explained that the last challenge her dad took on before his diagnosis was climbing Snowdon.
“He was so proud of climbing Snowdon and he loved a challenge. I think he would be proud of us and honoured that we are taking on the climb in his memory.”
John, known to many as ‘the Sheriff of Bartley Green’, joined West Midlands Police back in 1980, spending more than 30 years in the Force before retiring in 2011.
“Dad was extremely proud to be a police officer. He joined when he was 19 and the police quickly became his family, the Force gave him a sense of belonging,” added Laura.
As John died during the coronavirus pandemic, it meant that attendance at his funeral was limited due to restrictions. However, as a mark of respect and in honour of John, hundreds of his former colleagues turned out to line Bournville Station to watch as his hearse drove past on its way to his funeral service.
Laura recalled: “When Dad died we heard so many lovely stories about him from his friends and former colleagues in the police. And the amount of people who travelled and turned up to pay their respects was overwhelming.
“People called Dad an ‘inspiration’ and said he had ‘made them the police officer they were’. We saw just how much of an impact he had on people. You know your parents have an impact on you but when you hear how much they have influenced other people’s lives, it’s incredible.
“One of my favourite stories that he ever told me was about one of the people he had previously arrested, who chased him down the street. Dad was panicking because he remembered arresting him, but once the offender had eventually caught up with him, it turned out, he wanted to show him a picture of his baby and tell Dad that he had turned his life around. That sums up the kind of man my Dad was.
“He was firm but fair.”
As well as Dan, there are five other serving officers climbing Snowdon in his memory including his former colleague, Stuart Parker, along with Libby Hewitt, Gemma Wilkinson, James Hurdidge and Harvey Woodford.
Joining them will also be Connor Rettie, whose dad died of MND this year, as well as his partner Chloe.
“MND is such an unknown disease, doing this is as much about raising money for charity, as it is about raising awareness of the condition,” said Laura.
“There’s no cure for MND, which makes it a very frustrating disease to understand, even for the professionals. And until you experience MND, or know about it, it’s hard to appreciate just how much the money we raise will mean.
“And Dad was so young when he died, it’s so important for us to keep his memory alive.”
After first being diagnosed with MND, Laura said her dad started to teach her “practical tasks” to prepare her for life without him.
She continued: “He showed me things like how to change a tyre - that was his way of showing me his emotions. He always had our back and we knew it.
“Now it’s our turn to make Dad proud.”
The MND Association aims to improve care and research for those living with Motor Neurone Disease.
Donate to Laura’s fundraising page.
