COPS provides peer support opportunities and access to counselling services to help surviving family members (‘survivors’) rebuild their shattered lives."Your loss is a part of who you are but COPS helps you realise that it doesn’t define you. We are all one big family."Since its foundation in 2003, COPS has helped hundreds of police families devastated by the loss of a loved one who died on duty.

In May 2020 I walked ONE MILLION STEPS FOR NHS CHARITIES TOGETHER in 23 days (463 miles). After lockdown I returned to work (dumper drive for Leiths (Scotland) Ltd) but always wanted to walk from Lands End to John O'Groats and realised it would take 7 or 8 weeks. I'd ridden that distance (874 miles) on a motorcycle in 24 hours in 1990 and Lands End - John O'Groats - Lands End in 49h 50m in 1991.

It's a nice route and worth doing at a slower pace.......

Now because of travel restrictions I can't cycle the route (thankfully as it's bloody dangerous on main roads) so I asked the nice people at 

Craigendarroch Country Club and Spa 

in Ballater, Aberdeenshire (5 minutes from home) as they have a fantastic well equipped gym if I could use their gym bike for the event.  

The Leisure Club Manager, Emma Yarnell was only too happy to oblige and, due to social distancing guidelines and restrictions, she even offered me one of their bikes to take home to complete the 874 miles challenge. 

Emma was kind enough to provide me training facilities in 2013 for a 6 hour gym endurance event for the Royal Marines charity Commando 999 which was also undertaken at Craigendarroch. 

 Being in full time employment means I'm up at 0400hrs each day so any cycling will only be for one hour each night with a bit more at weekends, although my volunteer work with the Aberdeen Blood Bike charity (NERVS) means I'm 'helping' Santa arrive to see kids in Aberdeen on a marked motorcycle on the next three Saturdays, so less cycling it is!

The target is to maintain a 15 miles cycling per hour average and hopefully finish the entire thing around New Year. I'm on annual leave to January 6 in case I need a few more days. I'm on annual leave from midday Christmas Eve and do a few hours when I come home. A breather on Christmas Day and then at least six hours each day until I'm done.

It'll be easier because I can't get a puncture or get knocked off AND near to the kitchen for a brew! If I put the back of the bike on a bit of wood to jack it up, it'll feel as if I'm going downhill. Sorted!

Care Of Police Survivors work tirelessly to help surviving family member of officers who die or are killed on duty. I'm lucky to have completed my service in one bit, many of my former colleagues were not as fortunate.

Any support for this fantastic charity will make so much difference to all receiving help.

Cheers, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 13 UPDATE

Well, things are coming along nicely, and 6 days to go until my annual leave starts and I can kick the backside out of the remaining miles.

Tonight's little ride brought up 11.11 miles, bringing the remaining distance to go into sight with NOW only

614.19 miles to go.

I'm encouraged to see donations are now at 35% of my £999 target.

Being ex old bill, £999 was the obvious number 😉.

And now the very important part of my event. Having done my service with Grampian Police / Police Scotland, Christine Fulton, who we all know as the joint founder of Care of Police Survivors, is a regular visitor to the Scottish Police College to speak with Probationary cops and frequently attends passing out parades to award the Lewis Fulton Trophy for outstanding Officer Safely Training.

Back in 2013 I completed an 8 day 2500 miles sponsored motorcycle ride to raise funds for COPS. I was delighted to meet with Christine at College and spoke at length about her husband Lewis, who was a Strathclyde Police Officer and was tragically lost his life on duty.

Over the years we have kept in contact with me selling COPS items to cops at work and distributing the (very gucci) COPS magazine across my former Force area.

My decision to do this event was straightforward, as was the choice of which charity to raise funds for.

As previously mentioned, I approached the charity for Survivors to hopefully provide me with stories of fallen Officers
for me to forward here.

Christine was very kind in forwarding me her story of how she met Lewis and how their lives developed.

I'll stop typing and let you read Christine and Lewis's story.

PC Lewis Fulton
Strathclyde Police
17th June 1994

In December 1987 I was working as a store detective in Glasgow city centre.

One day I was moaning to the local beat men that I didn’t have a boyfriend to go to the Christmas parties with. They asked what I was looking for in a man and I replied that he had to be a non-smoker and like dogs.

An hour or so later a 6’5” vision of gorgeousness in police uniform walked into the shop, introduced himself as Lewis and said that he had been told he could get a cup of tea there. I duly made him his tea and chatted for a few minutes before he returned to work.

Shortly after the two beat men reappeared and asked me what I thought, I shrugged and said that he would do a turn if I was desperate. The next day Lewis came back and asked if I was desperate yet. Well actually, yes I was! We agreed to go out a few nights later, the rest as they say is history and just a few weeks later he moved into my flat.

In early 1992 we were sitting looking through holiday brochures when he casually asked if I wanted to make it a honeymoon, we were married in July and the following year our son Luke was born.

We moved into our new home where the garden became Lewis’s pride and joy, cutting the grass three times a week and filling the greenhouse with seedlings. If he wasn’t in the garden, he was in the kitchen creating curries from scratch and amazing pasta dishes.

In June we booked a cottage in Northumberland for our first family holiday, we were so looking forward to getting away.

His last day at work before his annual leave started was a Friday, he was early shift. I heard him tiptoe into Luke’s bedroom to say goodbye then he left, never to return.

Lewis died later that afternoon; he was just 28 years old.

In 2003 I became the co-founder of Care of Police Survivors, a charity which provides support to the families of police officers and staff who have lost their lives on or as a result of their duty.

We are not there to replace welfare or family liaison officers but instead to build on the work that they do and most importantly to ensure that the families left behind remain a part of the police family.

Care of Police Survivors is Lewis’s legacy. As a police officer he wanted to provide support to the public and his colleagues, in his death he has continued to do so.

Christine Fulton MBE

When I received Christine's story a few days ago it felt surreal as I know her well enough to be able to call her a friend as well as someone I respect for her sheer bloody guts and determination to carry on with bringing up Luke, not forgetting having the minerals to get COPS up and running and making it a massive part of Police Officers lives, and providing the essential and invaluable support to Survivors.

Christine, thank you for sharing Lewis's and your story xx

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

Blue Knights England XIV 

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 14 UPDATE

Ladies and gents, it's amazing what can be achieved on a day off when not getting up at 0400hrs.

Five spread out rides today saw a handsome

50.66 miles achieved!😉

In plain terms, 310.47 miles ridden and

563.53 miles to go, with another day off tomorrow, anything's possible to make a decent dent in that....

Care of Police Survivors are waiting for Survivors families to consider providing details of their fallen loved ones, with sharing very personal details being an incredibly difficult thing to consider, I can only respect any decisions for these stories and photographs to materialise. If and when I receive any they will be shared here.

In the meantime, I'll add photos of how my legs looked at the start and how they'll look at the end.

Full disclosure, they aren't my own actual legs. Just in case the detectives among you see no similarities between the images and me!

With the expenses of Christmas, uncertainty over Covid and new lockdown restrictions etc, I genuinely appreciate the financial support I have been given so far and thank everyone who has taken the time to offer messages of support.

Attempts to have the event publicised on national and local radio have fallen on deaf ears, the local papers and tv are also apparently otherwise engaged.

Therefore it's you, me and the bike.

I'll not make thousands on this event, but the few hundred I've managed so far will be well directed by COPS.

I'll finish this before I return to work on 7 January, although I'm working until Wednesday. So please SHARE where you can if you haven't already.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

Blue Knights England XIV 

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 15 UPDATE

Damn good strong day today with a bloody hard fought

51.33 miles. 13.6 miles in the last hour, I'll take that one🙂

So far that's 361.8 miles done and only

512.2 miles to go.

Now I'm in the swing of things I can't wait for my annual leave to start on Christmas Eve and apart from Christmas Day which is a rest day, I'm aiming to ride at least 50 miles per day until I hit the 874 miles, hopefully before returning to work on January 7th.

No Survivors story to share tonight and time for the second bath of the day, brew and a well earned biscuit and up at silly o'clock before only one hour on school nights on the bike until my leave kicks in.

Roll on the 25th and VERY well earned Heineken and I get re acquainted.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 16 UPDATE

Decent hour on the bike tonight saw a good 12.26 MILES!

This has now broken a personal target of ONLY 499.94 MILES to go and with a running total of 374.86 MILES ridden.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 17

Another decent punt tonight achieved 11.36 miles cycled.

Running total of 385.42 miles with

488.58 miles to go and I'll be over the halfway mark hopefully before Christmas.

All being well a few more quid may be donated or else it'll be more miles cycled than £'s raised.

Anyway, bath, dinner, brew and bed.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 18 UPDATE

The plan was to do my ride tonight at the

CRAIGENDARROCH COUNTRY CLUB AND SPA IN BALLATER, ABERDEENSHIRE who have very kindly donated the use of the gym bike for the duration of the event.

But because of this poxy pandemic they have had to close, losing business and sadly forced into disappointing dozens of families at this time of year.

Therefore, Plan B, crack on with the event at 'ours'.

Anyway, the total for my hour was

11.71 miles, and running total of

397.13 miles and 476.87 left to go!

Now I'm on a/l until January 6, each day except Christmas Day will (please God) be at least 50 miles, as long as the 57 year old legs stand up to the job.

My cunning plan is to blag myself onto Northsound 1 and Original 106 in Aberdeen for their breakfast shows tomorrow although they don't know it yet, so listen in between 0800-0900hrs to see if I manage!

Sponsorship is up to £395 so maybe a little festive spirit can be shown towards

CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 19 UPDATE

Well, good news leading into Christmas, today was pretty decent and racked up

50.30 MILES!!!!!!!

This sees the running total at 447.43 MILES and happy to announce I'm now past the halfway point 😁

Tomorrow I'm taking a day off as I'm seeing a friend of mine from Holland, yes, Mr Heineken is making a Christmas appearance and I'll make the most of that.

The title of the event is

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020, the reason for this was to highlight the loss to Police families from losing loved ones, and this time of year is more emotional and sensitive than most.

I would like to thank everyone at Care of Police Survivors for their tireless work supporting the families at Christmas as well as the rest of the year.

If you're in the job and working over Christmas, keep your heads down, keep away from idiots and go home in the same condition that you started your duty.

A Merry Christmas from all at Chez Guv, have a peaceful and happy day tomorrow.

If you know anyone who may have lost someone recently or donkeys years ago, give em' a bell to check how they are as we can't visit.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 20 UPDATE

Back to the coal face today after yesterday's unwanted time away from the bike.

As promised, a daily attempt of 50 miles successfully completed with

50.57 miles. NOW, ONLY 376 MILES TO GO.

Now if Santa was good to you and you have a couple of quid going begging, in the spirit of seasonal charity, why not do something nice for CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS?

If you or your family are 'job' related, then my efforts will benefit you and not me, therefore PLEASE SHARE THIS if you haven't already as every donation, small or large makes such a difference in their times of need.

With me cycling for England at the moment, I'm able to eat and drink what I fancy as it is sweated out the following day. Calories, I spit in your face, HA! 😉

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Chip in, you know you want to😁

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 21 UPDATE

This cycling on annual leave is a bit knackering, leaving out being 57!

Anyway, that aside, a really good day today, with the last hour being the strongest.

53.70 miles today leaves only 322.30 miles to go, and I'm gonna pull my finger out to crack this asap to give me a day off with my family before going back to work on January 7th.

Not sure if it's possible to feel more tired but stronger as the miles fall away but Schwarzenegger's legs aren't a patch on mine 😉

Time for a barf (not a spelling mistake, I'm from Watford), dinner and a Heineken.

Please feel free to deliberately make your friends feel guilty for not donating as it's time to up the cash so please SHARE THIS SHAMELESSLY AS I AM!!!!

If a couple of dozen people chipped in a quid, you get the picture?.....

Justgiving couldn't care less if you donate in US or Australian dollars, Euros or anything else.

I hope that when I jump out of the barf that the donations have gone up just a bit.

Time to get moving,

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 22

A decent day and another

53.90 miles today.

ONLY 268.40 MILES TO GO!

As I'm so bloody close to finishing the 874 John O'Groats to Lands End ride, here's a suggestion,

I'm at £485 in donations at the moment, I'll complete the remaining miles in 5 days. If I reach my target of £999, I'll carry on to

ONE THOUSAND MILES, and I'll complete the outstanding mileage in only extra TWO DAYS!

If the donations hit £999 by the time I hit 874 miles then it's game on, if not then I'll stop at the 874 miles and put my feet up.

Too good an opportunity to push someone to push themselves, and all for pressing your phone to chip in a couple of quid.

CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS NEED THE MONEY, IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

All charities are suffering because of limited fundraising opportunities this year. I'm putting myself out there to add some more cash into the pot.

There you have it.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

If you haven't already done so, please SHARE THIS POST.

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 23 UPDATE

Another decent day with 51.79 miles ridden today. Early in the saddle means early finish 😁

The distance to go is rapidly coming down with just 216.61 miles left.

If the ride was on the road I could have enjoyed coasting downhill but would have suffered in today's snow, such fun!

ONLY FOUR DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Thanks for the continued support and donations.

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 25 UPDATE

First day of the year was met with a heavy heart that our neighbour and friend Frank Coutts died suddenly at home yesterday afternoon.

Not really on it today but managed

57.10 miles and leaves 105.20 miles to go.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Today's effort was for Frank.

God bless mate.

Mark, Liz, Soph and Lexi Devon.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 26 UPDATE

Not only is today the penultimate ride, tomorrow is the last day 😁😁😁😁😁

Just finished 56.07 miles and saddle sore doesn't quite do my 'issue' justice!

So for my brothers in Blue Knights XIV Chapter, I'm only 49.13 miles off the Lands End signpost so a bit of support over the line would be handy 😉

Normal start for the final time tomorrow and a proud moment awaits for completing my John O'Groats to Lands End on a gym bike after work, evenings, weekends (around Blood Bikes Santa duties), Christmas and new year, family stuff and through my annual leave.

Finishing tomorrow will give me three days at home to enjoy the last of my a/l, and if the ice buggers off, my motorcycle and I can have a bit of fun too.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

Laters, Guv.

FALLEN COPS AT CHRISTMAS 2020

DAY 27 UPDATE

That's it, all done.

John O'Groats to Lands End distance squared away 😉

Knackered, knees are feeling it, backside is a tad sore and legs are as heavy as two very heavy things.

Excuse me waffling on more than usual but the last day is normally a biggun as it has been on previous events, but as the local press, radio, as well as the nationals saw fit to show no regard to provide any coverage whatsoever, it fell to you kind people on social media to generously donate some very welcome funds for Care of Police Survivors to use as they see fit.

I would like to thank Emma Yarnell at Craigendarroch Health Club and Spa in Ballater for her continued support and encouragement with my efforts.

The Health Club was to be the venue throughout but the pandemic screwed that for me. Emma generously offered me to collect the bike for me to use at home for as long as it took to reach my target.

Emma, you're a diamond x

My thanks to Christine Fulton at Care of Police Survivors who collated permissions and stories of fallen officers that were forwarded to me and replicated here.

I would also like to thank every single person that throughout this fundraiser for the messages of support and the several donations that looked at one point like I may reach my target.

Sadly this time the amount raised was less than I had hoped for but with so many people losing jobs, being on furlough, having the expense of Christmas, or like me, most weeks not having a pot to piss in.

Over the years Liz Robinson and I have been married she has helped / tolerated my 2012 10 day / 3500 mile sponsored motorcycle event for Commando 999.

She stuck by me for my 2013 8 day / 2500 miles sponsored motorcycle event for Care of Police Survivors, she did the same again a few months later (after 9 months of bloody hard training) for a sponsored 6 hour gym endurance at the Craigendarroch again for Commando 999.

Liz helped me so much when I arranged a humongous fundraiser for the people in our local village when entire streets were submerged in the Storm Frank floods in Ballater a couple of years ago. Money raised was over £16k in one night (quite proud of that one), and then she helped me with admin, buying pairs of shoes for me, helping with press and social media for my sponsored walk of

ONE MILLION STEPS FOR NHS CHARITIES TOGETHER TOGETHER last May.

I didn't have anything planned at that point but this ride came to me early in December, and as they say, 'the rest is history'.

Liz, without yours and the support of Soph and Lexi Devon, my ideas would stay in my head and never get off the ground or raise any cash for worthy causes.

Nothing else planned at the moment but I always say that.

Between you and me I preferred the MILLION STEPS as I finished with a nice sun tan.

Anyway, enough of that, the sponsorship page is open for a couple of weeks so don't be shy.

justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-robinson149FALLENCOPSATCHRISTMAS2020

For the final time, laters, Guv.