Tag: SPBF

CALLING INTERNATIONAL RESCUE!

Fundraising

Ok well maybe we are over egging the pudding a bit!!  But we wanted to update you with regards to our own little hero Anthony (and his Mum!) who were to be completing their last climb as part of their massive fundraising effort on behalf of the SPBF.

As you will know Anthony was to be climbing the might Ben Nevis having already completed a number of smaller hikes in preparation.   Anthony with his loyal Sherpa (otherwise known as mum), had finally got a break in the weather and were finally set to conquer that last peak and stake their flag at the top.   However, we are sad to report that just to prove this task is no easy feat for anyone never mind our own mighty mouse, Anthony.  They had to abandon their attempt due to an unfortunate accident, whereby Anthony’s mum lost her footing on some loose ground causing her to fall and injure her back, leaving her with a slipped disc and a sprained ankle for her trouble!  Anthony who also fell, thankfully only suffered minor cuts and grazes, but was otherwise okay.

As a result, they had to abandon their attempt having got about halfway up, and very tenderly and slowly had to make their way back down to base.

Clearly they are disappointed and frustrated to have got so close, but obviously safety always comes first and so the climb on this occasion for now has had to be postponed. 

Thankfully we are happy to report that Anthony has already forgotten about the incident and back up running around on full steam.  Mum is making good progress we understand and all at SPBF send our thoughts and wishes to them.

Once they have had time to digest all that has happened to them, a decision will be made on what and how they can complete the task, or if an alternative is possible. Either way, they should be so proud of everything they have achieved so far and the money which has been raised to date and we shall of course keep you posted !

Here’s a photo of Anthony starting his hike of Ben Nevis, before Thunderbird 2 came to the rescue!!    The fund raising link (click here) remains open so please if you haven’t already donated, surely a slipped disc, sprained ankle and hurt pride deserves at least a pound in your pocket …….! 

 

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Aint No Mountain High Enough…..

Fundraising

Our intrepid little fundraising warrior, Anthony Green is at it once again folks!  He’s maybe small in stature but he’s a giant when it comes to fundraising!!

This time he’s set to reach new heights in his quest to fund raise for our charity (literally!)

We are honoured that Anthony and his family have chosen us again to raise funds for and we would ask you all get behind him, not to mention his big sister and mum in completing his new adventure.  See full below for full details and please give generously.

Simply scan the QR code with your phone camera or alternatively click here to go to Anthony’s Just Giving Page to make a donation.

 

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OLDIES BUT GOLDIES !

Donation

On the 3rd and 4th April, 2025 at the Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld, the Retired Police Officers Association (RPOAS) held their 78th Annual conference.

Whilst maybe retired, these men and women are certainly not sitting about doing nothing and regularly meet and get involved to look after the interests of retired Police officers and their families.  They also do a lot behind the scenes supporting and promoting the various Police Charities for which we are very grateful.

During the meal at the conference, the members held a raffle to raise funds to donate to their chosen charities.  On this occasion, the members chose to donate the funds equally between ourselves and COPS (Care of Police Survivors).  Over £700 was raised which is a fantastic amount and the SPBF subsequently received a donation of £385 from the RPOAS.

We would like to that the opportunity to thank all the members of RPOAS for their kind donation, especially those at the conference who made it possible.  This money will be put to good use supporting our Officers and Support Staff, past and present who are or were members of the SPBF.   Thank you!

The SPBF were in attendance at the conference with our intrepid duo, Ricky Wood (Secretary) & John Turley (Eastern Area Trustee) acting on our behalf.  Any similarities and suggestions that they were mistaken for Jack & Victor are entirely without foundation……;)  But as ever they were there with a smile and goodies to give out and a good time was had by all.   If you are at an event or conference and see our stall, then please come over and say hello!   They don’t bite we promise!! and you may get some nice goodies to take away with you.

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COP THIS!

Fundraising

The SPBF was delighted to be able to encourage and support Adam Peppard, one of our Scottish Police Federation (SPF) colleagues, and give support to one of our fellow police charities Care of Police Survivors (COPS).  Adam is taking part in the COPS Police Unity Tour which is a two-day cycling event in August that raises awareness of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty and raises funds to support their families.

A truly worthy cause we are sure you will agree.

Image: Ricky Wood (Secretary), Lynne Gray (Chair) with Christine Fulton of COPS and Adam Peppard of the SPF. 

 

The SPBF managed to catch up with COPS at the recent SPF conference and present them with a cheque for £2,000 to support this essential cause.  We look forward to hearing how Adam got on and we wish him every success in his fund raising efforts.

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THERE’S BEEN A MURDER!!…. WELL OK, A DONATION!

Fundraising

In our best Taggart voice, it’s maybe a tad dramatic but hey we wanted your attention to tell you that on the 7th February 2025, the Scottish Senior Investigating Officers Conference was held at Dunblane Hydro.

This was the first Senior Investigative Officers conference in a number of years, and was held on the 6th and 7th February.

The two-day conference brought together 200 delegates from across the SIO network, including key representation from our law enforcement partners throughout the UK. The conference saw a number of inputs from Police Scotland SIOs, and sponsors.

During the evening reception a charity raffle was held and the decision was made that the proceeds of which were to be kindly donated to the SPBF.

Our Chair, Ricky Wood, attended the event on behalf of the Charity to receive the cheque and this was presented by another fantastic fund raiser for the Charity and Police Scotland’s youngest Deputy Chief Constable, Anthony Green. The most senior in rank at the event in fact!! (technically ….).

Many of you will know DDC Green as our intrepid fund raiser from last year who toured almost every Police Station in Scotland raising funds on behalf of our Charity. DCC Green may be small in stature but he packs a punch when it comes to getting people to dig deep into their pockets to raise money for a good cause! As always he was accompanied by his trusted and loyal personal bodyguard, William the Enforcer (otherwise known as dad 😉)

Our picture shows the cheque for £1,240 being presented to our Chair by DCC Green in his High Vis jacket, along with ACC Steve Johnson, Major Crime, Public Protection & Local Crime; and DCS Paul Livingstone, Head of Major Crime.

DDC Green was also presented with a certificate of achievement on behalf of the SSIO Management acknowledging his outstanding work in supporting the Scottish Police Benevolent Fund.

Detective Sgt Judith Northin one of the conference organisation team stated-
“We appreciate the efforts of the SPBF who work tirelessly to provide assistance and support to Police Scotland officers, their families, and communities; and we hope that this contribution can go a little way towards helping this continue.”

On behalf of all at SPBF, we would like to thank DDC Green and all the officers and sponsors who attended the SSIO Conference and raised funds on our behalf.

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IT’S A WRAP!

Donation, Meetings

Another year is coming to a close, but not before Santa came bearing an early Christmas present for the charity!!

The Trustees met at Castlebrae for the Annual General Meeting in November as planned where the charities accountants were able to report a clean bill of health again for the charity in regards to its financial responsibilities and status in respect of OSCAR compliance.  The governing body that regulates charities in Scotland.

(Our Trustees in attendance at AGM)

We also were delighted to welcome Matt Hamilton, Secretary of the Retired Police Officers Association Scotland, Tayside Branch.

Matt attended to listen to the AGM report, but also kindly came to present a cheque on behalf of the members of the Tayside Branch of the RPOAS, who donated £2,000 to the SPBF.  This was very unexpected but much appreciated donation and the Trustees would like to thank Matt and the members of the Tayside Branch for their kindness.  We shall certainly put it to good use, and of course the charity continues to support our retired members and their families in times of need.  Thanks again Matt and all at Tayside.

Matt (without the Santa suit!) presenting the cheque to our Chair, Lynne Gray

If you would like to make a donation to the SPBF then simply click on the donate link in the menu and follow the easy to use instructions.  It really is as easy as that, and rest assured your donation will make a difference to our officers and support staff, who work to keep everyone safe 24/7, but sometimes need someone looking out for them too.  It is only through such kind donations SPBF can continue to make that happen.

On behalf of all the SPBF Trustees, our staff and of course our local volunteers in the three areas without whom we couldn’t operate, we wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

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KIND DONATION IN MEMORY OF MARION

Fundraising

Donation from the family of Marion Wheeler

Following the sad passing of Marion who was a cleaner for many years at Elgin Police Office, the family kindly chose the SPBF to be one of the benefactors from the collection at her funeral.  Her family told us that Marion loved working at the Elgin Office and is pictured here in the middle, holding her retirement card from the officers and staff.

Following her passing, Marion’s daughter was contacted by a former workmate who let her know that Marion was loved by everyone at the office and would be greatly missed.  She said, “Marion wasn’t just our cleaner she was a surrogate granny and marvellous baker too”.

We all at SPBF, would like to pass on our condolences to Marion’s family and thank them for their kind donation.  It is clear that Marion was very much seen as part of the Police family in Elgin and will be missed by all of her former colleagues.

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Dog Tired but what a Guy!!

Fundraising

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.

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GIVE A KID A QUID

Fundraising

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.

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LIONS TIGERS & BEARS OH MY!!

Fundraising

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!

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