Police staff are in the pink
Police officers and staff in Devon and Cornwall are a shade more colourful this week for a unique charity drive which has raised £12,000.
Many police officers and staff have swapped traditional epaulettes for bright pink ones and are sporting pink lanyards on their Force ID badges for a week [7-13 September].
The uniform change is part of a Forcewide charity drive in support Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer’s chosen annual charities.
More than 1,300 employees have so far bought pink epaulettes and lanyards from their salaries to support Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation – raising the bumper total past the £12,000 mark.
Chief Constable Sawyer, pictured, said the venture had won great support across the Force.
“Throughout my time with the Force I have always been impressed and humbled by the scale of charitable works undertaken by colleagues both on and off duty,” he said. “As a result I wanted a way for them to be able to show their public support for three worthwhile causes who work so tirelessly within our communities.
“There can be few people across our Force and in our communities whose lives have not been touched by cancer or heart disease. We hope we can do these three charities proud with this unique fundraising event.
“I cannot think of a better way to show our support than by wearing it. I hope the pink additions catch the eye of the public and raise awareness of these extremely worthy charities. I also hope that we can raise a substantial sum of money in support of their work.”
The charities say they are delighted with the support being received through the week-long event.
Stacey Smalley, BHF Fundraising Manager, said: “Sadly coronary heart disease is still the UK's single biggest killer and hundreds of thousands of people are living with heart failure. Surgery techniques can still be improved and there are exciting developments in genetics and stem cell technology yet to be found.
“We want to say a huge thank you to Devon and Cornwall Police for supporting us with this unique fundraiser which will help us to continue to invest in the research to save and improve so many lives.”
Bridget Hill, Fundraising Manager for Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “I am delighted to be involved with Devon and Cornwall Police in this very special fundraising event and hugely grateful to the Chief Constable and everyone involved.
“Macmillan Cancer Support provides medical, practical, emotional and financial support to people affected by cancer. Every day in Devon and Cornwall 29 people hear the news that they have cancer. The money raised will fund healthcare professionals, keep the Macmillan Support Line open and enable us to award grants to those most in need at a very difficult time. We are also currently building The Cove, a brand new cancer information and support centre for the people of Cornwall. Every penny raised will be put to good use, helping people affected by cancer.”
Annabel Coakley, Cancer Research UK’s Local Fundraising Manager for South Devon, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Devon and Cornwall Police has chosen to hold these unique fundraising activities to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
“Cancer Research UK has made enormous progress in the fight against cancer and continues to do so. However, we have only been able to do this thanks to the dedication and commitment of our volunteers and supporters without whom we would not be able to fund our vital research. As many as 1 in 2 people will now be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime so our research is as crucial as ever in our fight to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.”
You can follow the fundraising effort on Twitter under the hashtag #ChiefsCharity via the Force account – DC_Police
Any members of the public who wish to support the initiative are asked to donate direct to any of the chosen charities.
