Northamptonshire Police officer joins former colleague on his 200km challenge to raise money for road safety charity

A former senior Northamptonshire Police officer will be running through the county this week as part of his 200km challenge to raise money for national road safety charity, RoadPeace.

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox is the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for fatal collision investigation and has set himself the mammoth task to coincide with Global Road Safety Week.

Andy set off for his 200km run on Saturday (May 15), starting at the location of the UK’s first fatal traffic collision, near Crystal Palace in London, and will finish at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Sunday (May 23).

The route will take him through a number of counties, including Northamptonshire, where he will complete day five of the challenge at Towcester Police Station after starting Wednesday (May 19) in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire.

Andy will be supported by his former Northamptonshire Police colleagues as he sets off for day six at 10am on Thursday (May 20) from Towcester Police Station in Watling Road for the 27km journey to The Red Lion pub in Kilsby.

PC Emilie Bunkall of the Force’s Road Crime Team has volunteered to run some of the route alongside her former “boss”, who provided support to her after her mum was tragically killed in a fatal road traffic collision in 2013.

Emilie said: “I’ve worked in roads policing since 2006, and in my role as a family liaison officer, I supported families who had lost their loved ones as a result of a road traffic collision.

“On 6th June 2013, my world shattered when on duty, I heard over the police radio that my beautiful mother had been killed in a road traffic collision. I found myself walking in the footsteps of those I had supported, and for the first time truly felt their heartbreak.

“The last eight years has been a difficult journey for me and my family, a journey I am still very much on. I thought I could no longer be an officer, but my mum was incredibly proud of my traffic role, and this has given me the strength to continue and play my part in road safety.

“Andy was my superintendent when I received the devastating news, and kindly came to visit me at home and offered me whatever help I needed. I will always appreciate the time he took to try and help me, which is why I am supporting him on this amazing journey to help others.”

Andy has already raised more than £27,000 of his £35,000 target, however if you would like to support him, you can make a donation via his fundraising page here.

“RoadPeace do an amazing job to support seriously injured people and bereaved families, helping them come to terms with their loss and supporting them through such a terrible experience,” said Andy.

“They also play a key role in advocating for road safety change and in doing so seeking improvements across the system, to help prevent future collisions and to improve the experience and processes for those who sadly have been affected.

“Following the pandemic and the cancellation of many fundraising events, RoadPeace needs our support more than ever right now.”

You can follow Andy’s progress as he makes his way from London to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire using #AndyCox200km on social media.