Leicestershire Police raise funds for lifesaving charity in memory of a much-loved colleague

A team of dedicated Leicestershire Police colleagues are raising funds to support the lifesaving missions of the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) in memory of a dear friend and colleague, James Dixon.

Between 18 – 20 April 2023, five of late James’ colleagues – Louise Summers, Dom Ash, Sam Smith, Jake Thompson and Ryan Kelly will be taking part in a tremendous feat; the David Goggins Challenge – running four miles every four hours throughout the day and night for a staggering 48 hours.

Each person taking part will have run just under two marathons in two days – which equates to 12 four-mile runs completed per team member.

One of the two charities they have chosen to support is the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance due to the lifesaving missions it undertakes, 24/7, 365 days per year. The team and James have seen first-hand just how important the charity’s vital missions are.

“About a month before James sadly passed away, he suggested a running challenge to us as it had been created by ex-navy seal and ultra-marathon runner David Goggins, whom he loved. However, we hadn’t run four miles between us all in the last year, so we weren’t keen,” said Dom Ash, a friend and colleague of James’.

“We now thought it would be fitting for us to undertake this challenge in his memory and give it all we’ve got to raise funds for a vital charity, that he knew was so important,” he added.

The Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance can be on the ground within minutes providing lifesaving pre-hospital care at road traffic collisions, sports events, industrial accidents, medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest, or accidents in the home – and other incidents needing expert medical interventions.

Lynn Wood, Community Fundraising Manager for the charity said:

“We are delighted to see that the team at Leicestershire Police have chosen to support our charity while raising funds in memory of their sadly missed colleague. With support such as this, we are bringing more awareness to the lifesaving work our crews do every day of the year and how important it is to keep our service operational, as you never know when you might need it.”

“The challenge they have chosen to complete will no doubt be extremely difficult, and we would like to thank them and wish them all the best of luck for those two days”, she added.

The team have set themselves a fundraising target of £5,000 and have already raised a fantastic £3,191. To help them reach their target, and to support them on their tremendous feat, visit: Run4Dicko fundraising on JustGiving

This year the charity is celebrating its 15^th anniversary of providing its lifesaving service across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland. To help the charity mark this momentous milestone and support it so that it can continue its lifesaving missions, why not visit www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.