Brighton and Hove police to take to the water to help charity stay afloat

Police officers and staff from Brighton and Hove are due to be among the crews taking to the water next month to ensure that a local charity stays afloat.

Sussex Police Charitable Trust has entered a team who will take part in the Bewl Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday 7 September.

The officers and staff from Brighton and Hove and across the county are taking part in their own time to raise funds for the force’s charity.

The Sussex Police Charitable Trust helps to support members facing difficult times such as bereavement or terminal or life-threatening illnesses or injuries.

The trust said: “All monies raised will go directly towards supporting the trust’s members among Sussex Police by providing financial assistance, advice and guidance and recuperative breaks in times of need, hardship or distress.”

Each year the charity helps hundreds of officers in a profession in which, culturally, asking for help was long seen as a sign of weakness.

The organisers hope that the event will raise £2,000, with supporters having already pledged almost £700.

Among the charity’s most prominent supporters is the crime writer Peter James who held a gala night which raised funds for the trust at the Theatre Royal in Brighton earlier this year.

Chief Constable Giles York is – like Peter James – a patron of the charity.

To find out more or donate to the trust, click here.