Sign up for charity bike ride and help police charity

20 January 2022

West Midlands Police Federation members are being urged to sign up for this summer’s long distance Police Unity Tour (PUT) bike ride which raises vital funds for the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) charity.

Many members are still clinging onto New Year fitness pledges and Federation branch chair Rich Cooke believes focussing on this 200-mile challenge could help inspire some colleagues to stick to their 2022 resolutions.

This year’s PUT ride begins on Friday 19 August and ends at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Sunday 21 August.

Rich said: “We’d love to see as many West Midlands branch members as possible taking part in this year’s Police Unity Tour bike ride and I think training towards that goal will help people stay motivated and focus on their fitness.

“The event is a real highlight on the policing calendar and everyone who takes part always talks of the incredible camaraderie they experience by taking part - it brings out the very best of the policing family.

“Some officers have made friends for life doing the PUT ride and it also gives us the opportunity to take part in a challenging bike ride while raising money for an extremely important cause and then celebrate the lives of fallen officers at the memorial service.

“I took part in the 2019 PUT ride and will do so again this year and would encourage colleagues to join me.”

The annual PUT event sees hundreds of riders from forces across the country take on the three-day challenge to raise cash for COPS which supports the families of officers who have died while on duty.

Traditionally, each of the PUT riders wears a wristband specifically dedicated to a fallen officer and the event ends at the COPS service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Please email Rich Cooke in the first instance if you want to sign up for the PUT.