Light the Lakes 2026.

Adventures of Team UP!

This will be my 5th year taking part, with a new line up on Team Up and a few reoccurring faces.

I've not had the time to properly fundraiser for this, with turning 40, becoming British and saving the world.

But all joking aside, I will be taking part in this wonderful event climbing the Lake District peak called Sergeant Man. We will be hiking in 27° heat it seems, praying the storms hold off before setting up base camp for a much needed meal and drinks. We will wake early in the morning to take part in the ceremonial lighting of the flares/glow sticks to Light the Lakes. The fun, adventures and swearing have a cause, that cause is to remember those members of the Thin Blue Line family no longer with up.

As always, I will be holding up a gin and tonic in Honor of Dale. He was my tutor, and got me through the start of my career, with a happy banter only his friends knew. The soundtrack of my tutorship was The Cheerlead song and to this day I can hear him singing it whilst we patrolled.

We lost him to soon, and I would not wish for anyone to experience what R1 felt all those years ago.

So in honor of XR105 PC 3692, I will be forever be his cheerleader as he was mine, even if I annoyed the heck out of him!

So folks, dig deep and help us be cheerleaders for the Thin Blue Line family!

Light the Lakes has become an established event in the climber's diary where Police Officers, colleagues and friends climb the 214 Wainwright peaks in the Lake District.

COPS provides peer support, counselling, mental well-being and respite services to help surviving family members of police officers and staff who have died on duty rebuild their lives. They work with hundreds of families from across the UK – all of their services are provided free of charge and for as along as they are needed.

The vision has always been to cover all 214 Wainwright fells with the light of flares in honour of our fallen officers. Knowing that each flare is in honour of those who have lost their life is an incredibly special and moving experience.

This year is the seventh for Team Up and we will be hiking up Sergeant Man and wild camping along the way.

Among those we will be remembering are:

PC Dale Johnson

PC Andy Cochran

PS Matt Ratana

PS Graham Saville

PC Ashleigh Metcalf

PC Ty Jones

PS Matt Hinton

DC Ansah Ossei-Owusu

PC Damien ‘Minty’ Harris

PC Chris Donovan

PS Paul Purdy

PC Samantha Jones

PC Kate Murphy

PC Daz Howard