IISSUESSUE 3535

DDECEMBERECEMBER 20112011

Fallen Officers Fallen Officers

Remembered at Remembered at

National Police National Police

Memorial Day & Memorial Day &

the Scottish the Scottish

Police Memorial Police Memorial

‘R‘REBUILDINGEBUILDING SSHATTEREDHATTERED LLIVESIVES’’

Care Of Care Of

Police Police

SurvivorsSurvivors

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COPS AGM will be held at 3pm on Sunday 11th March

2012 at the Barceló Hinckley Island Hotel, Watling

Street (A5), Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 3JA.

Washington DC. If any survivors are interested in

going to Police Week in May (11th–19th approx) please

contact Sue as soon as possible on

sue.brace@ukcops.org to enable her to gauge

numbers.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to circumstances beyond our

control, the COPS Survivors Weekend will now take

place during 8th-10th June 2012 and not 29th June-1st

July as previously advertised. Please update your

diaries accordingly.

For the first time

this year I was

able to attend the

Scottish Police

Memorial Service

and I have to say

I thought the day

w a s r e a l l y

thoughtfully put

together and it

was evident those

attending, from

the survivors and guests to the Chief

Officers, all experience a day to

remember. It was also the first time I

had seen the Police Memorial which sits

so peacefully in the quite spectacular

surroundings of the Scottish Police

College. The Memorial is quite simple in

design but at the same time it is

impressive and a fitting tribute to

remember those who have lost their

lives.

The proposed new Police Memorial at

the National Memorial Arboretum is

progressing. By the time you read this

the project board will have had an initial

assessment of the viability of the project

by independent assessors who have

spent these past few months working

towards a report to be presented to the

project board and the oversight

committee in early November.

I will keep you updated on the progress.

I want to take this opportunity to say a

special thank you to everyone, Trustees

and volunteers that helped to make the

survivors weekend such a success. I

think the new hotel and the facilities

made a real difference and finally I think

we have found the right format for the

Sunday to give the day a warmer

feeling.

I know that many of the Chief Officers

have openly commended the way

everything came together to mark a

special day for all our survivors. The

most important thing we all need to

remember is that our survivor weekend

is about you the survivors and please be

assured that your Trustees will always

keep this in mind to ensure that the

memories of those you have lost are not

forgotten.

It is good to be able to welcome Jan

Berry as our new Trustee and I know

Jan will be a valuable addition to the

Charity as she has always given her

support to us in the past.

As Christmas is upon us I know this time

of year will bring many memories and

thoughts of past times. You are all in our

thoughts and I trust you can enjoy the

comfort of friends and family around

you.

Michael J Foster QPM

Chairman

Chairman's Message

E veryone at COPS would

like to pass on our

congratulations and very best wishes to survivor Shonagh Ferry on her recent marriage

to Don Gawthorne.

We hope you have a long and happy life together. COPS

President Sue Brace, Christine Fulton, Georgine Whigham and Stu McAllister attended the wedding.

Jan Berry, former Chair of the Police Federation

of England & Wales has been appointed a

Trustee of Care of Police Survivors.

She joins Sir Hugh Orde and Chris Sims as a

member of the Board and has been a strong

supporter of the Charity since it was founded in

2003.

Speaking following the National Police Memorial

Day Service in Glasgow Jan said ‘COPS provides

such reassurance and support to police

survivors. It is a privilege to join the board and

have the opportunity to ensure current and

future survivors have access to the assistance

they need.’

COPS President Sue Brace added ‘This is great

news for COPS. Over the years Jan has got to

know many of our survivors and has generously

given her support and encouragement. As a

Trustee she will bring a different perspective to

the work of the Charity and I’m sure survivors

will warmly welcome the news.’

COPS News

3

T he 2011 National Police Memorial Day was held in Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall, a superb venue. Hundreds of family members from across the UK joined HRH The

Prince of Wales (above meeting COPS President Sue Brace), Home Secretary Theresa May and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond as well as many serving and retired officers to pay their respects to the men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The service was very moving, especially the moment when thousands of petals fell from the ceiling and the combining of the Last Post with Abide With Me reduced many of us to tears.

It was lovely to see so many COPS families there and to have the opportunity to spend time with some of our newer members. As President I was honoured on behalf of COPS to be introduced to Prince Charles (above). He is a lovely man and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he knew all about our charity and asked lots of questions including how was I getting on after taking over from Christine.

He said that it was lovely for the families to know that their relatives have not been forgotten and how well thought of they were. How true that statement is!

The annual service is organised by a committee of people from the police family led by founder Joe Holness QPM. It is a measure of the importance of this event that HRH The Prince of Wales is patron of the day.

The 2012 service will be held on Sunday 30th September in the beautiful York Minster. Further details will be available in the near future at www.nationalpolicememorialday.org

Sue Brace

National Memorial Day

T his year’s service was held on September 7th at Tulliallan Castle, home of the Scottish Police Memorial. Survivors were joined by COPS Chairman Mick Foster

and President Sue Brace with other guests including Kenny MacAskill MSP the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, the Lord Lieutenant of F i f e , M r s

Margaret Dean and John Raucci from the FBI.

The service was led by John Geates QPM, Director of the Scottish Police College and the Reverend Georgie Baxendale who, as always, spoke very movingly, but the most poignant moment came when the Lament was played by the piper, survivor Stewart Reid.

Stewart is the grandson of Joseph Drake, a Stirling and Clackmannan Constabulary officer who died on duty in 1967. Although he never met his grandfather Stewart and all of his family remain very proud of him and he was honoured to be able to pay tribute to him in this way.

After the service Sue said ‘The Memorial is in a fabulous setting, very peaceful. What a wonderful place for the families to sit and remember their loved ones. The service

was beautiful and being able to chat with friends old and new over lunch was a perfect end to an emotional day.’

Scottish Police Memorial

Stewart with his family at the Memorial

S ome years ago in the United States,

police officers and family members

began to place blue Christmas lights in their

windows over the festive season.

The idea was a simple and effective way to

show they remembered the sacrifice of

police officers who have died in the line of

duty and demonstrate support to those still

serving.

This tribute speaks eloquently of the fact

that at such times, there are special

memories of loved ones who are absent from

the celebrations.

When we started COPS in the UK we thought

this was a practice well worth following and

have been promoting this new ‘tradition’ for

the last few years.

There are many blue decorations in the

shops this year (like our battery operated

S n o w M a n f r o m L a k e l a n d

www.lakeland.co.uk) so if you can, try to

find something suitable and let’s use it to

show that at this time of year, we

remember those special people who are

missed so much.

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Angela – I presume I can call you Angela rather than Mum for this

interview!

You’ve been involved with COPS for a number of years now, and although I’m sure a lot of survivors know your face, they probably

don’t know much about you – and what you actually do!

So lets start with where were you born?

I was born in Burton on Trent, and was bought up in the village of Alrewas near

to the National Memorial Arboretum. I lived there until I got married in 1989 and have lived in Lichfield for the last 4 years.

Did you have a favourite subject at school?

Cookery! I still love cooking now and have been on a few night school cookery courses over the last couple of

years.

What was your first job?

When I was 14 I worked as a waitress and helped out in the kitchen at one of the pubs in Alrewas. When I was at

school I wanted to go into hotel management and catering, but working in the pub made me change my mind – the hours played havoc with my social life!

What other jobs have you had?

After leaving school in 1985 I joined Police Mutual Assurance Society

(PMAS), a friendly society providing financial services to the police family.

I actually applied for a job as an accounts clerk, but when they saw my

typing qualifications I got offered the job as a typist instead – a wise

appointment as my maths wasn’t that good! I stayed at PMAS for 23 years, when I left in 2008 I held the position of Events Manager & PA to the Chief Executive.

How did you get involved with COPS?

Christine Fulton and Jim McNulty, COPS Co-founders, came to PMAS to see if they could hire a function room for the

first ever survivors weekend in August

2003. As Events Manager I worked with them to sort out the arrangements.

What do you remember about that first Survivors Weekend?

There were around 100 attendees. I remember the Blue Knights riding into the car park and will never forget Della Cannings, then Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, turning up on

a motorbike – she did so much to

promote COPS at ACPO level after that first weekend.

Over the years we’ve had to make changes to the weekend to accommodate the needs of survivors and cater for the increase in numbers. The Service of Remembrance has always been held at the National Memorial Arboretum as that is the

home of ‘The Beat’, the avenue of trees dedicated to the Police Service.

Tell me about your involvement in the establishment of ‘The Beat’

I was a member of the working party which was facilitated by PMAS. I also organised the opening of ‘The Beat’ by The Rt Hon Jack Straw, the then Home Secretary in 1997. There’s also a family involvement too as my Dad planted the trees!

You now work at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Yes I’ve been there since October 2008. The job was advertised in the local paper the day before Survivors

Weekend and since the previous years event, the Armed Forces Memorial had been dedicated and visitor numbers had soared, it was a totally different place from the muddy field 11 years before. I went home and said to Simon I was

going to apply for the job – his response was ‘why on earth do you want to work in a field’!

I know you enjoy your job - I live with you and you talk about it a lot

– but what do you actually do?!

My role is Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive. It’s a wide and varied role, no two days are the same. As well as carrying out work for the CEO, I’m also responsible for HR and Company

Secretariat and I also get involved in organising VIP events.

You’re also a Trustee of COPS, what does that involve?

I’ve been a Trustee for the past 6

years. A Trustees’ role is a governance one, helping to ensure the charity is run

mindfully, that funds are distributed appropriately, and to ensure the charity is run in the best interests of the survivors it supports. There’s a great

deal of work involved in organising the annual survivors weekend too, and I also act as COPS PR Officer.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Cooking, shopping, going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, and of course going on holiday! We

have a touring caravan and enjoy going away for weekends to get some quality time as a family – I tend to work too

much when I’m at home!

How do you fit in a full time job, looking after me and Dad, your

COPS Trustee work, and all those hobbies?

I get up early and go to bed late!

Well thank you for talking to me

Angela, even I have learnt some new things about you, so I’m sure our newsletter readers will too!

Angela Ham was interviewed by COPS Volunteer Ellie Ham, thanks Ellie!

Hello! - Angela Ham

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The Christmas

COPS Shop

Www.ukcops.org/shop

Jute Bag £5 Cards £4 – Pack of 10 Paracord Wrist Band £5 Speeding Ticket Fridge Magnet £2

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HELLO EVERYONE, I hope you are all

well.

This always seems to be a quiet time of year for us in regard to fundraising but we do have some events to tell you about.

IN AUGUST myself and some family and friends did an army assault course in Barry Buddon, near Carnoustie.

After a fun filled but exhausting morning we raised over £1600. Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience although several of us got

rather wet! Many thanks to Major John Kerr and his team for their assistance on the day.

AT THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER we held our bi-annual COPS/Blue Knights picnic at the Scottish Police College. This is our day to say thank you to the Blue Knights for their constant support and fundraising & we were blessed

with some wonderful weather. Lots of survivors attended including President Sue Brace who was making her first visit to Tulliallan. All three Scottish

chapters of the Blue Knights were represented and they gave a donation of £140 towards the Jim McNulty

Memorial Fund, in memory of the COPS co-founder who was also a member of BK Scotland 1.

IN SEPTEMBER Kate Buss, Barry Walsh and Steve Osborne ran the ‘Run to the Beat’ half marathon in London raising over £380. Then in October Martin

Jones ran the Cardiff half marathon and Chris Sloan took part in the Great Edinburgh Run. Between them Martin

and Chris raised over £300. Many

thanks to you all.

THERE HAVE BEEN lots of lovely donations including £2012 from the Police Superintendents Association of England & Wales, £1000 from Leicestershire Police Federation and £500 from Hampshire Police. Personal donations were made by Mr Parsons

and Michael Rowen (£250), Chief Superintendent David Walker (£250) and PC Thompson from Lincolnshire Police (£110). All donations are

entered on our web site and we are truly grateful for each and every one.

NOW THAT all the banking has been

done following the survivor weekend there are a few more people to thank namely survivors Shonagh Ferry, Clodagh Brown and Iris Long. Shonagh donated one of her husband Alasdair’s paintings for the auction and

it sold for an amazing £530. This was the first of Alasdair’s works she had parted with so it was a very emotional and proud moment for her. Clodagh

had raffled some COPS teddies at her work and presented the proceeds of £120 at the weekend. Clodagh and

her brother John have also sold £200 worth of pins, well done both of you. Finally special thanks must go to Iris who not only worked incredibly hard over the weekend but also donated a number of excellent auction, raffle and tombola prizes. Iris has spent quite a

bit of time in hospital since the weekend and we wish her a speedy and complete recovery.

FINALLY don’t forget, if you are doing your Christmas shopping on line to do so via www.easyfundraising.org.uk/

COPS and if you have any foreign

currency left over from your summer holidays please send it to us as we can convert it into sterling for our funds. We are also grateful for any unwanted gold jewellery such as broken chains or single earrings as this can also be converted to cash. £91 was raised

from the gold which was donated at the survivor weekend.

IF YOU are holding any type of fundraising event please take a photo

and send it to us with a note of what you did so that we can include it on

our web site. If there is anything at all that I can help you with please let me know.

Georgine Whigham

Fundraising Coordinator

07860 904 200

georgine.whigham@ukcops.org

Fundraising Roundup

COPS is a member of

the Fundraising

Standards Board, and

has signed up to being open and fair, honest

and legal in how we go about raising money to fund our

work. This means that you can have complete

confidence and trust in how we operate.

For more information about

the FRSB please visit their

website at:

http://www.frsb.org.uk

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Remember, COPS has teamed

up with the holiday company

Cottages4You who have

hundreds of cottages both here

and abroad.

If you are thinking of booking a

holiday why not have a look at

the web site

www.cottages-4-you.co.uk/cops

not only will you get a 5%

discount on your booking COPS

will also get a 5% donation.

You can also telephone to

request a brochure on

0845 268 1921

but you will need to give the

NEW code PART05 when you

make your reservation.

RPOAS Fife Supports COPS

On the 16th September I was invited to talk about COPS to the Fife branch of the Retired Police Officers Association Scotland, at Police Headquarters in Glenrothes. Afterwards, the Chief Constable Norma Graham and Eddie Devlin, Chair of the Fife branch, presented me with a cheque for £100.

There were over 40 Officers present, not all retired, and yet again I was amazed at how many had not heard of COPS.

They all seemed very interested in COPS and I have had a

formal invitation to go to their AGM in Inverness next April to give another talk and have a stand......spreading the news and raising the profile!

Georgine

Raise money for us simply by doing something you enjoy - having your friends round for dinner! Just go to www.dinner4good.com/COPS and you'll see it

couldn't be easier to Host a Dinner.

You start by creating a personalised "Dinner Page" on the Dinner4Good website (takes about 5 minutes) and then email invitations will be automatically sent from the site. Your guests then accept and donate online, which means you can see who's coming and how much is being raised -

in a click. It reduces the awkwardness of asking for money and no there's no hassle with collecting cash. Dinner4Good takes care of everything, including the Gift Aid application - so all you have to do is eat, drink and enjoy yourselves!

Tell your friends over dinner about the cause they've donated to and they might also want to hold a

Dinner4Good of their own - so the good goes on and on!

Eat, drink and raise money!

You can now make a donation to COPS straight from your

mobile phone!

Just text COPS01 £2/£5/£10 to 70070 e.g. COPS01 £10.

If appropriate you can also add

giftaid.

There are no service charges so COPS will receive the full

amount.

To: 70070

COPS01 £10

@UK_COPS

facebook.com/ukcops

Keep up to date with all the latest news

www.ukcops.org

8

Gosh I can’t believe Christmas is almost on us yet again! I will soon be putting my blue light in the window and thinking ‘this year seems to have gone quicker than last year.’ For most people ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year!’ Christmas is a magical time of giving presents and spending time with those you love, creating cherished memories for years to come.

But after the death of a loved one, most of us feel that Christmas will never be normal again; Christmas will never be the same without our loved one. However, that doesn’t mean that it won’t ever have meaning or joy for you again.

Be gentle with yourself, be patient, every person grieves at their own pace.

As time goes by you will forge a new ‘normal’ for yourself and your family and it is how you celebrate the Christmas festivities that will keep your loved one close to your heart, and the love you shared alive.

Each year we put blue lights in our windows in remembrance of our fallen officers, an American survivor recently told me what these blue lights represented in the States. ‘The blue light represents our grief, our courage, our memories and their memories. They shine out in honour of them, and the pain of losing them, but most of all they are the lights of love for our loved ones.’

For Police Officers on duty over the festive period it shows them that they are in our thoughts.

On that note I would like to say have a good Christmas and New Year and for all our Police and emergency services take care and stay safe.

Sue Brace, National President

sue.brace@ukcops.org 07703 279 744

CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS

PO Box 5685 Rugeley

WS15 9DN Phone: 0844 893 2055

Email: admin@ukcops.org

Web: www.ukcops.org

Office Manager—Abbie Clark

‘REBUILDING SHATTERED LIVES’

Care of Police Survivors was formed in

March 2003 by Jim McNulty & Christine

Fulton MBE.

Jim was a retired Strathclyde Police officer

who had a long relationship with COPS in

USA, and with the National Law

Enforcement Officers Memorial there.

Christine is the widow of Constable Lewis

Fulton, who was murdered in Glasgow in

June 1994 as he tried to disarm a

knifeman.

COPS aims to provide Survivors with the

level of understanding and care that is

required to help them rebuild their lives.

Registered Charity No. 1101478

Scottish Charity No. SC038541

COPS & the COPS Logo are

Registered Trade Marks

Perviz Ahmed (37) Police Constable, West Yorkshire Police. Died 31st July 2011, fatally injured whilst travelling home from

duty in Wakefield on the afternoon of 30th July when his motorcycle was in a collision with a car in Armley. PC Ahmed

served with the Operations Support Services Division where he was a firearms officer. He is survived by his wife and son.

Stephen Cully (41) Police Constable, Lothian & Borders Police. Died 9th September 2011, suddenly whilst attending a

training course at the Scottish Police College, Tulliallan. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Ramin Tolouie (40) Police Constable, West Midlands Police. Died 16th October 2011 after a collision between his

motorcycle and a car at Wylde Green whilst he was travelling home from duty in Birmingham. PC Tolouie was stationed at

Erdington Police Station as a response officer for Birmingham North Local Policing Unit. He is survived by his wife and

daughter.

Mark Goodlad (41) Police Constable, West Yorkshire Police. Died 24th October 2011 when his marked police vehicle was

struck by an HGV on the hard shoulder of the M1 near Wakefield as he assisted a female motorist. PC Goodlad was a

Motorway Patrol Roads Policing Officer with 10 years service. He is survived by his wife and child.

Neil Jeffreys (49) Police Constable, Strathclyde Police. Died on 2nd November 2011 having been critically injured on 16th

August 2002. His unmarked police vehicle was struck by a car which veered into his path on the A82 Loch Lomond and

subsequently by 2 other vehicles. The other officer in the vehicle died at the time. PC Jeffreys is survived by his wife, a

serving officer, and children.

Chris Whelan (31) PCSO, Metropolitan Police. Died on 6th November 2011 when his motorcycle was involved in a collision

with a car in Streatham whilst he was travelling home from duty. He is survived by his wife and children.

President’s Message

LINE OF DUTY OBITUARIES