CHARITY UPDATE
through the same experience. From this, Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) was born. Alice started the first group from her living room in Hull. This group, alongside 54 other groups, is still helping people today. Suicide bereavements are life- changing events, especially within the policing family. In the past year, SoBS has collaborated with Care of Police Survivors (COPS), Police Care UK and Police Charities UK to ensure officers and staff know that they have support during this tough time.
SoBS ensures officers and staff know what help can be offered to the families that they are supporting, and that there is support for officers to cope with this part of the job. Every interaction supports the bereaved and helps lessen isolation. Alongside the groups, SoBS has a helpline which is open seven days a week, an email support team and a worldwide forum. There are two virtual groups, bereaveMENt which is the service especially for men and our Punjabi- speaking women’s group. All the charity’s volunteer facilitators, helpline volunteers and email support team have been bereaved by suicide themselves. SoBS services are free of charge and are totally open ended, open to anyone impacted by suicide loss.
For more information on the support available, or advice on how to support others, visit
www.uksobs.org. Bereavement information packs can be ordered from the resource area on the website free of charge.
WALKING FOR MENTAL HEALTH CHARITIES In November 2020, PC Scott Caswell, Armed Forces SPOC for Warwickshire Police undertook a fundraising event for local military charity, Veterans’ Contact Point. He walked nonstop for 24 hours, with as many one-mile laps of Warwickshire Police HQ while carrying a 50lb Bergan. Incredibly, Scott completed 87 miles and raised £2,400 for the local charity. Determined to do more, Scott decided to walk four miles around Warwickshire
Police HQ every day in July 2021, while carrying a 50lb Bergan and a respirator. July saw some of the hottest days of the year, and the addition of the respirator saw Scott struggling to breathe at times and losing more than 6kg. He achieved 130 miles, 10 miles on the last day alone, raising £1,000 for the Curtis Palmer Programme, a charity headed up by a serving Thames Valley Police officer. The charity provides short- and long-term help through expeditions and training programmes to help emergency service workers through PTSD, stress and other mental health-related illnesses. Scott said: “As a serving police officer and member of the armed forces, I recognise the dangerous and often stressful work carried out by all of our emergency service colleagues and understand that PTSD, stress and mental health related issues have increased across the frontline. The last two years alone have had a massive impact on us all and I wanted to be able to give back to those who offer us help when we need it.” Having now caught the bug for unusual charity events, Scott is taking on two challenges in 2022. The first will be to attempt the national Three Peaks Challenge, carrying a 50lb Bergan and wearing a respirator. Scott added: “My
aim is to raise as much money as possible for charity and to try to make a Guinness World Record.”
The second challenge this year will see Scott walking from Warwickshire Police HQ to the National Arboretum on National Police Memorial Day. Scott plans to walk for 70 miles, again wearing his Bergen and respirator. He plans to split money raised for these two challenges between a military and police charity, both of which are to be decided.
CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS
Police Unity Tour
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the annual Police Unity Tour, a charity cycle ride which raises funds for UK Care of Police
Survivors (COPS). To date, the tour has raised more than
£1 million, which has been used to directly support the work of the charity and the families of fallen police colleagues. Every rider who takes part in the tour rides in memory of a fallen colleague, killed in the line of duty, by wearing an engraved bracelet bearing the officer’s details. The ride concludes at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, where riders can meet family members of those whose lives were lost and present them with the memorial bracelet. Each rider commits to raising at least £400 for the charity. This year, there are 16 cycle rides setting off from around the country, all due to meet at the Arboretum on Sunday 21 August. Registration for this year’s event is open and everyone is welcome to take part. The tour organisers are hoping to achieve representation from every force in the UK. Donations can be made to the tour, which will go directly to COPS.
More details of the Police Unity Tour and how to register can be found at
www.ukpoliceunitytour.org Further details of the work of COPS can be found at
www.ukcops.org
33 | POLICE | APRIL 2022
Here and below, PC Scott Caswell
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