SHOOTING THE BREEZE!

SPBF Would just like to wish Lewis Sutcliffe all the best for tomorrow, when he will be donning his kilt and taking to the road to take part in this years Kilt Walk for charity in Edinburgh on Sunday 15th September.

Whilst Lewis currently works in England, his heart is always in Scotland and returning home to do the Kilt Walk he wanted to raise some money on behalf of the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund.  We are very grateful to him (and all our fundraisers) for choosing us as his charity of choice.  Lewis will be sporting not only one of our T Shirts as he makes the walk but just to make it a little more challenging, will wear a 25kg vest on top!

If you see Lewis on the walk give him a big cheer and if you would like to support him then click on this link, where you can make a donation direct to his giving page.

Go Lewis, we are rooting for ya!!

TOP COP PLODDER

The SPBF would just like to thank our youngest Police recruit for putting in a humongous effort plodding the beat across Scotland to raise funds on behalf of our charity.

As we reported previously, Anthony, who is only 6! From 1st July, embarked on a country wide tour visiting over 50 Police Stations across our estate from the major cities, to the suburbs and the outer Islands.

From meeting the Chief Constable (where he was duly promoted), to taking fingerprints or doing maintenance on our Police fleet, Anthony has given it his all and was ably assisted by his parental probationers.  Our pocket dynamo has totted up the miles, 2,250.4 miles to be exact, and the cash for us!

We know Anthony has many adventures to come and we know there are plans for a calendar later this year using some of the fantastic ‘Scene of the Crime’ photos taken whilst on his travels.  Watch this space for details!!

Anthony has so far raised a whopping £2,206 for us and it’s still going.   If you would like to donate please click on this link to take you direct to Anthony’s just giving page.

Thanks again Anthony for all your efforts, you certainly earned a rest (not arrest!) and your fund raising will go towards helping our members in times of need.  So take a bow DCC Green 😉

Dog Tired but what a Guy!!

We would just like to thank our intrepid explorer retired officer Tony Catlan for his support raising the fantastic sum of £890.

Tony took on the Cape Wrath trail (Fort William to Cape Wrath) to raise funds for the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund. In the end he walked 248 miles, climbed a total of 43,000 feet (one and a half times the height of Everest), all while carrying 20 kilos of equipment on his back.

The trail is not for the faint hearted or inexperienced. Tony said the weather conditions were kind to him, but he still regularly woke up with ice on his tent. He snapped a walking pole, got cracked fingers from the cold and nearly stumbled onto a snake. There is limited phone signal on the route so if anything goes wrong all you can do is hope it’s not too many days before you bump into the next person on the trail.

The entire route is challenging, but Tony said the hardest bit of the trail was behind the Torridon mountains. At one point it took him 6 hours to cover 6km due to a massive bolder field and boggy terrain. He said, the views from Beinn Eighe were worth it though.

In all it took 17 days to complete the challenge, although not content with that he spent a couple of days camping and cold water dipping in the North Atlantic before finely returning home.

Tony used his time wisely on his mammoth trek and managed to learn some Robbie Burns, ‘A Man’s a Man for a’ That.’

Well, when we caught up with this Man, he was thankfully taking a well-deserved rest and enjoying home comforts and a cuppa.

Thanks again Tony, we are incredibly grateful for your efforts and the fact you chose to support the SPBF, giving us vital additional funds so we can support serving and retired officers/ staff and their dependents in time of need.

GIVE A KID A QUID

Meet Anthony

Anthony has autism and is very passionate about the Police.  He began visiting Glenrothes Police station to see the Police cars and meet the local Bobbies and is now known as ‘Special Constable Green’.

Anthony and his dad who has no connection to the Police have planned a trip to visit 50 Police stations around Scotland, in July 2024, in a bid to raise money for the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund.

Anthony will be taking photographs along the way and making a 2025 calendar with pictures from his encounters of all the stations and departments.

Please, if you can, donate on the below just giving page and if everyone managed to donate a single £1 Anthony will be overwhelmed.

Here is a direct link to Anthony’s Just Giving Page here.   Please feel free to share this post far and wide with friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and any other Social Media you can think off and lets make this as special for Anthony as we can.

Have a fabulous time Anthony, we will be watching with great interest as you go on your grand adventure.

MAN ON A MISSION!

Our intrepid traveller Tony Catlin continues his exhaustive mission on a hike across northern Scotland.   Tony is currently attempting to complete the challenge of hiking the 230 mile long Cape Wrath trail.

He really is pushing the boat out and stretching himself to the limit, all in aid of raising funds for our charity.  Go Tony!!

Tony is keeping us updated on his travels where he can get signal. Below are some of the stunning views and a few other pics showing his progress.

I think we can all agree it’s some effort by Tony. If you could find your way to supporting Tony in raising money for the charity, no matter how small a donation, then please do so via the link here.

He’s still some way to go before he finishes, but he’s currently ahead of schedule despite some horrific and challenging weather so far. Temperatures have at times been near freezing with hailstones.  Requiring him to use his survival suit for the first time in his climbing and hiking history since he was 17 years old!

But he has his faithful friend with him.  Who as you can see is being a courteous traveller as all explorers should be. Bringing his own porta loo and shovel with him.   Maybe no woods to go to as such, as the old saying goes. But when a bear’s gotta go, a bear’s gotta go!!!

Lets give Tony all the support we can to reach his goal of £1,000 towards the charity.  Click on the link above to give to his donation page and maybe help a poor bear in need too!

 

AND THE INTREPID ADVENTURER IS OFF!

Our fab trekker, Tony Catlin, who is doing a gruesome hike up the west coast of Scotland on the Cape Wrath trail to raise funds for our charity, is finally on his way!  Bear included!!

You can follow Tony on the Cape Wrath Trail page where he is posting a blog of his hike (when he has a signal).  It really is a tough challenge and we would ask you to support him in every way you can, such as a donation would be good !! 😉

For further info regards what Tony is hoping to achieve and make a donation, follow this link

Good luck Tony we will be cheering you on!

KINDNESS IS RIFE IN FIFE!

A massive THANK YOU! to the FIFE BRANCH of the Retired Police Officers Association (RPOAS), who have kindly donated the fantastic sum of £500 to our charity.

Having heard of the financial pressures the charity is under.  As well as the valuable work it does in supporting officers, staff and their families, serving and retired.  The Fife branch members were keen to lend their support and decided to make a kind donation at the recent RPOAS Annual Conference, whilst our Secretary & Trustee Ricky Wood was making a presentation there.

We are deeply grateful for their kindness and this money will definitely be put to good use in assisting our membership.

If you would like to help then please just click on the donate now link and follow the easy instructions.  Every little helps and goes a long way to improving the lives of officers and support staff, serving or retired during their times of need.

Photo shows chair of Fife Branch Eddie Devlin, presenting the cheque to Ricky,

L to R: Ross Bennet, Ricky Wood, Eddie Devlin, David Brown, David Brown (yes 2, its not a typo honest!!)

 

LIONS TIGERS & BEARS OH MY!!

Well not quite! But Tony certainly will have a few animals, beasties and other extreme challenges to contend with on this journey.

SPBF is extremely grateful to ex Police Officer Tony Catlin, who is embarking on what is classed as the U.K.’s most difficult hike and recognised as one of the finest, challenging, and scenic long distance hikes in the world. Known as the Cape Wrath Trail, it’s a gruelling 230 mile minimum unmarked hike, all in aid of raising funds for the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund.

Tony who is 65 years young, will be undertaking this hike solo.  Carrying all his own kit (18-20kgs pack) he will have to contend with snakes, difficult terrain and of course the Scottish weather.  If that isn’t enough, he will be adding a few freezing cold swims in lochs as well as a few summit climbs and river crossings, just to spice things up a bit!!

Tony starts his marathon hike on 18 April and has created a Just Giving donation page which you can access using this link.

He hopes to raise at least £1,000 for our vital charity work but of course he would love it to be more.   Tony would be most grateful if you would be so kind to support his efforts and give a donation no matter how small or large.

Whilst on his travels, he hopes to gives us regular updates, photos & videos showing his endeavours and we look forward to seeing them.  SPBF wishes Tony every success in undertaking this monumental effort towards raising support for our Police Officers, Support Staff and their families in time of need.

In preparation Tony has been undertaking a few practice hikes and trying to fine tune his equipment needs and kit bag weight. However, he seems to be having difficulty with a couple of stowaways who seem determined to play a part!

Below is a map showing the route Tony will roughly be taking and I think we can all agree, this is no easy feat!!

Good Luck Tony we will be routing for you!

SPBF supports Cops4Ukraine – an update!

Earlier this year SPBF helped our Police Colleagues and their families in war torn Ukraine, by providing a donation towards the invaluable work being undertaken by Cops For Ukraine (Cops4Ukraine).  We recently received and update from them regards the work they have been undertaking and below is a summary of their efforts.   

 

COPS4UKRAINE

 

Earlier this month large quantities of Cops4Ukraine aid successfully reached several Police Stations in the East of Ukraine

The consignments of aid included 100 Individual Trauma First Aid Kits (IFAKS), large boxes of assorted trauma medical supplies, Sanitary Products, Gloves, Socks, Boots, large quantities of winter thermals, winter jackets, winter trousers, ballistic vests, and ballistic helmets. A car and minibus for use by the police officers moving too and from the frontline were also donated.  These consignments have been received by very appreciative officers at four police stations spread across the Sumy, Poltava and Dnipro regions of Ukraine.

We remain in close communication with our contacts in Ukraine and know they are facing a terribly difficult winter, so we were extremely pleased to get these consignments of aid out to our Ukrainian colleagues just in time for the winter conditions that have arrived in the country this week.

As a bonus and thanks to the incredible donation of an entire vehicle. Funds were freed up to allow a minibus and boxes full of children’s toys and clothing to be donated to a Childrens centre in the Dnipro region. The centre run by a church group offers support and education to around 40 children of all ages in the most difficult of circumstances.

We have learned through our close contact with them, that the centre is unfortunately located close to civilian power infrastructure. So regular air raid alarms and the constant threat of a missile strikes is something that has become an horrific part of daily life for the children. So regular are the sound of alarms and explosions, that the centre has lined the inside of their windows with used cardboard egg boxes in an attempt to provide the children with some peace.

The children’s centre had been desperately wanting a minibus for some time but had struggled to raise the required funds. So, it goes without saying that we were only too happy to be able to donate one to them. The bus will allow them to take the children into town, out for day trips and ultimately away from danger if required.

 

Although the war in Ukraine is now not seeing the same media attention is did at the beginning of the invasion.  The horrors faced by the Ukrainian people continue on a daily basis. Earlier in the year a missile hit a residential apartment block not far from the children’s centre. The blast killed 46 people including 6 children, injured 80 and left 400 people homeless. These images were shared with us by one of the workers at the children’s centre and show the scene of the devastation.

Inclusive of the above consignments, Cops for Ukraine have now delivered eight separate loads of aid to Ukrainian Officers. This has only been possible due to the incredible support we have had from our colleagues here at Cheshire Constabulary, Police Federations, members of the public and suppliers! We are particularly appreciative of officers at Chester who took on the Chester Marathon to help raise funds and all those involved in the Cake Sales!

As many of the donations we have received have been physical donations it is difficult to put an exact figure on the value of the aid we have provided so far. However, we do believe it to be well in excess of our original £25,000 target!

It was a mammoth push to get these consignments out in time for the winter months, but we are determined to continue our support for the Ukrainian Police and we are certainly keen to do more to support the Childrens Centre – We already have some ideas of how to do this and we know with your support we will make them a success!

If you are able to help in anyway, donations can be made through our Just Giving page equally if you have an idea for a fundraising event or project to support the initiative, please do get in touch!

justgiving.com/crowdfunding/copsforukraine

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