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West Midlands riders pictured in 2019 (left to right)
Chief Constable Dave Thompson, Gill Wall and Rich
THE ANNUAL POLICE UNITY Cooke with another member of the PUT team.
TOUR SEES OFFICERS CYCLE

FROM VARIOUS POINTS

ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO

ARRIVE AT THE NATIONAL

MEMORIAL ARBORETUM IN

STAFFORDSHIRE FOR A

SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE.

COULD YOU REPRESENT THE
FORCE IN THIS YEAR’S TOUR?

est Midlands Police Federation
members are being urged to sign
Wup for this summer’s long distance
Police Unity Tour (PUT) charity bike ride
which raises vital funds for the Care of Police
Survivors (COPS) charity.
Many members are still clinging onto New Sign up for Police
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 Unity Tour and
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 help the families of
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 fallen officers
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 Traditionally, each of the PUT riders wears Last year’s event was the first physical ride
doing the PUT ride and it also gives us the a wristband specifically dedicated to a fallen in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
opportunity to take part in a challenging bike officer and the event ends at the COPS service It was the 9th year of the PUT and saw
ride while raising money for an extremely of remembrance at the National Memorial the £1 million milestone hit for the amount
important cause and then celebrate the lives of Arboretum. raised for COPS since the inaugural event.
fallen officers at the memorial service.
“I took part in the 2019 PUT ride and will ABOUT COPS
do so again this year and would encourage
colleagues to join me.” COPS is independent of the police service and encountered by new survivors.
Since the first ride in 1997, the tour has was founded in March 2003 by Jim McNulty COPS makes contact with the survivors
grown into a major event which sees hundreds and Christine Fulton MBE. of every officer who loses their life on duty,
of riders from forces across the country take Jim was a retired police officer from explaining what COPS does and inviting
on the three-day challenge to raise cash for Strathclyde Police and Christine is the widow them to make contact when they are ready
COPS which supports the families of officers of PC Lewis Fulton who was murdered on for such support.
who have died while on duty. duty in Glasgow in 1994. The annual service of remembrance is a
The charity was launched to raise Christine’s experience of that tragedy poignant event which brings together
awareness of law enforcement officers who gave her a unique understanding of the friends, families and colleagues from across
have died in the line of duty and raise funds overwhelming grief and confusion that is the UK and farther afield.
for COPS.

www.polfed.org/westmids federation February/March 2022 23