Ash thanks team-mates for putting the ‘unity’ in Police Unity Tour

4 August 2023

A West Midlands Police Federation rep has thanked team-mates for helping him complete the 2023 Police Unity Tour (PUT) cycle challenge.

Ash Forster said his fellow riders had certainly given meaning to the word ‘unity’ with their encouragement and support throughout the 200-mile route.

The annual event raises funds for the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) charity and Ash was determined to take part despite a late health scare.

He said: “About six weeks ago I was taken from work thinking I was having a heart attack but I’d committed to the ride and nothing was confirmed so I went for it.

“I had to stop training though so in the end I prepared for it with a 25-mile ride on the Sunday before.

“But without the rest of the team I would have struggled - the word ‘unity’ was there in abundance and it got me through to the end. I was helped along the way by everybody else.”

Ash said the last time he was on bike was five years ago when he completed a charity ride from Wolverhampton to Aberdovey after accepting a challenge by colleagues convinced he wouldn’t last the distance.

Reflecting on his latest spell in the saddle, he said: “I got through the ride and I’m feeling good. Apart from being a bit saddle sore and a few aches, I’m fine.”

Ash was presented with a bottle of wine by team-mates as a mark of their appreciation for his commitment to the tour.

The 2023 West Midlands PUT chapter gets ready to ride

The West Midlands chapter, which also featured riders from the West Mercia, Warwickshire and Staffordshire Forces, set off from West Mercia Police HQ at Hindlip on Friday morning (July 28) and took a 102-mile route via Tally Ho in Birmingham to reach Kenilworth for the first night stopover.

Saturday saw the riders cycle around 78 miles to finally end up at Drayton Manor Park in Staffordshire for the traditional Saturday night rendezvous with fellow officers from Forces across the UK.

All the cyclists then take a shorter Sunday morning ride to the National Memorial Arboretum where the event culminates in a poignant COPS service of remembrance.

The riders wear special wristbands bearing the name of a fallen officer throughout the PUT event and Ash rode in memory of West Midlands PC Jeffrey Barnes who died in a road accident at the age of 43 as he travelled to a motorcycle refresher course on 21 July 1986.

One of the highlights of his weekend was meeting the fallen officer’s family members on Saturday evening.

He said: “It was quite an honour to ride for Jeffrey and so it was very special to meet his son, his son’s wife and their twin girls at Drayton Manor and then again at the memorial service on Sunday.”

The West Midlands PUT chapter, which was jointly led by West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke and Chief Superintendent Andy Beard has raised more than £10,000 for COPS and supporters can still make a donation via the JustGiving page.