COPS Unity Tour remembers fallen officers

Yesterday (Sunday 28 July), eighteen cyclists from Leicestershire Police rode through the gates of the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire as they concluded the 2019 Care of Police Survivors (COPS) Unity Cycle Tour.

Riders from around the country battled extreme weather conditions as they overcame the mammoth 180 mile challenge, in memory of officers who have passed away.

The tour, which raises money for COPS, a UK registered charity dedicated itself to helping the families of police officers who have lost their lives whilst on duty, is now in its seventh year.

As part of the annual tour, groups of riders from across the country and others visiting from as far as America, covered various regions of the United Kingdom before coming together for the final leg of the journey and enjoying a memorial service together at Britain’s year-round national sight of remembrance.

Amongst the hundreds of riders taking part, was 37 representatives who had tackled the East Midlands Chapter, 18 of whom were either an officer, staff member or surviving family member from Leicestershire Police.

Tiffany Lynch from the Police Federation completed the challenge for a second time, she said:

“It was hard! But, it’s not about the ride itself, at all. It’s about everyone coming together for what is an amazing cause.

“The whole weekend had an unbelievable team feel, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never ridden a bike before or you ride every day, everyone pulls together.

“I will absolutely be back next year, if not as a rider then as a support team member – I’m not missing it!

“Hopefully next year we will have even more riders on the East Midlands Chapter, I cannot recommend the experience highly enough.”

President for the East Midlands Chapter of the Unity Tour, Charlotte Carter-Lang, said:

“What an amazing weekend! Everyone did so well despite challenging weather conditions, physical injuries and the emotional aspects of taking part.

“This year we were joined by four surviving family members all of whom played significant roles in motivating the rest of the team and reminding us all why we are there.

“In the space of a year, as a chapter, the East Midlands leg has grown from 12 to 37 riders and next year hopefully we will have even more new faces.

“It was a pleasure to see all of our riders take part, fighting their own battles with the course and reasons for taking part. I’m extremely proud of all of them.”

The list of Leicestershire Police officers, staff and family members who took part, included:

Name                                                 Riding for

Katie	Coleman	Edwin Trump
Emma	Maxwell	John Palmer
Martin	Leeland	John Davidson
Sally	Porch	Tim Burton
Ryan	Coleman	Philip Eames
Tiffany	Lynch	Ian Wheelwright
Leanne	Marshall	John Newell
Christopher	Moore	Bryan Moore
Jim	Holyoak	Brian Hawkes
Cara	Guest-Moore	Stacey Pike
Robert	Nixon	Catherine Godfrey
Mark	Morris	Cyril Thoroughgood
Victoria	Moore	Bryan Moore
Jon	Carter-Lang	Andy Munn
Charlotte	Carter-Lang	David Lowe
Mick	Graham	Harold Prew
Alison	Guest-Moore	Brian Dawson
Sanjay	Chauhan	Anthony Thornley

Donations are still welcome and you can contribute today by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/companyteams/EastMids2019