Senior police officers gear up for cross-border challenge

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer will be saddling up alongside police officers and staff from Devon and Cornwall and Dorset for a unique cross-border challenge in aid of local charities.

A team of 18 senior officers and staff members from the two police forces is aiming to cycle from Christchurch in Dorset to Land’s End in Cornwall in three days.

The 225-mile ride, which starts on Friday 13 May, will see the team pedal through a county each day before reaching their destination on the Sunday evening.

The route is especially tough due to the hilly nature of the route and riders will battle to climb 14,271 feet over the course of the journey.

Devon and Cornwall Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer [pictured front], Deputy Chief Constable Bill Skelly and Assistant Chief Constable Russ Middleton are among the riders.

Officers and staff have united for the challenge to raise as much money as possible for three worthy causes which are based within the region.

Funds will be divided equally between Julia’s House, a children’s hospice in Dorset, cancer charity Force in Devon and The Cove Macmillan Support Centre in Cornwall, a dedicated facility for people affected by cancer and their families.

Inspector Simon Arliss, leadership inspector for Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “The whole team is looking forward to bringing together the two forces in a bike ride to raise funds for three very important charities. It’s certainly going to be tough but extremely worthwhile.

“We hope we can do these charities proud by raising a substantial amount of money to support their important work and we would love to see people to come out and support us along the way if they can.”

Anyone who would like to donate to the charities to support the event can visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/allianceride

You can follow the team’s progress on Twitter via the hashtag #AllianceCharityRide.