Officers raise £11,569 for charity in New York, New York

ESSEX Police officers have raised £11,569 for children’s cancer charity ‘Jack’s Pack’ after officers took part in a series of charity events in New York.

In May of last year, officers ran a half marathon around Central Park, took part in a 5k memorial run in tribute to fallen New York Police Officers and locked arms for a ‘plane-pull’ contest at JFK airport.

Everyone who participated paid for the trip themselves and money raised went towards the cost of giving children potentially life-saving treatment.

The Essex officers were part of a group of 89 police officers and staff from the Metropolitan Police Service, Surrey and British Transport Police to raise money for ‘Jack’s Pack’ – Police Against Cancer in Kids – the fund-raising team of the Jack Foundation.

J-A-C-K (Joining Against Cancer in Kids) was founded in 2008 by Metropolitan police officer Mark Edwards, MBE and raises money for the treatment of children with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer which affects around a hundred children in the UK each year.

The charity was set up to help Jack Brown, the son of Met officers DI Yvonne Brown and DS Richard Brown. When the couple realised that Jack needed specialist life-prolonging treatment in New York, fellow officers rallied round to help and the trip to New York is now an annual event.

Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh, who has supported the charity since its launch, presented a cheque to the Jack Foundation at Essex Police HQ on Friday January 22.

Sgt Carl Habbershaw said: “I have been part of the last three events with the upcoming event in May being my fourth. It amazes me the dedication that officers show to fund raising and the efforts people go to make this event such a success and ensure thousands of pounds are raised for this amazing charity.

“This year we raised just short of £90,000 in total and I’m hopeful the next trip will be even more successful.”

The officers who attended the trip were: PCs Mark Bullock, Kat Major, Kim Adams, Ian Patterson, Jack Sneath, Jodie Rule, Rebecca Davies, Chloe Phillips, Danielle Whiting, Laura Stellon, Katie Londesborough, Lisa-ann Gore, Josh Stephens, Alex Courts and Special Constable Samantha Wright.