Marathon charity effort by Essex officers

ESSEX Police officers have completed a half marathon in New York’s Central Park in their bid to help raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for a children’s cancer charity.

Along with the US Army and officers from New York Police and Fire department, officers from a number of British forces comprised Team Jack to run eight laps of Central Park their police uniform. They then went on to host their seventh annual plane pull at John F Kennedy Airport outside New York with an Airbus A320.

As part of the event, British officers took on their American counterparts to see who could pull the plane the length of a hangar in the fastest time.

A total of 82 officers from the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, Surrey, Bedfordshire Police and National Crime Agency flew out to the United States to join Essex officers and take part in this latest fund raising event.

More than £150,000 has been raised on behalf Jack’s PACK (Police Against Cancer in Kids) this year alone.

All the officers paid for themselves and all the money made was donated to the charity.

Jack’s PACK was set up in 2005 after Jack Brown, son of Met Detectives Yvonne and Richard Brown, was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma – a rare form of cancer that attacks nerve cells.

Jack was given specialist treatment in New York at a unique facility that used an anti-body treatment for Neuroblastoma, providing the best possible care and opportunity for beating the disease.

Tragically, Jack died in 2009 but Yvonne and Richard continue their work for the charity, which now raises money to help other children suffering from Neuroblastoma to travel to New York for treatment.

To find out more about the charity, or to donate, go to: http://www.j-a-c-k.org/