PC’s widow backs £1.5m memorial
THE campaign to raise £1.5m for a memorial to fallen officers has been backed by the widow of a Lancashire Police officer who was killed in 1987.
Lin Woodward, whose husband PC Ian Woodward was shot after confronting a poacher near his home in Chorley, is urging the public to show their support for the UK Police Memorial to be developed at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Lin, 62, said: “My family and I are all in agreement that we need a national memorial such as this where officers and staff killed in the line of duty can be honoured, remembered and commemorated all year round.
“Like a lot of his colleagues, Ian was dedicated to his job. He loved knowing he was making a difference in the commu- nity. However, he went out that day and never came home.”
At the time of his death PC Woodward had been working as a traffic officer, while living on a smallholding in Chorley with Lin and their children Trevor, 12 and Joanna, nine. Before his death he had been made aware of trouble in the local area with poaching and badger-baiting, and had worked hard with the RSPCA to try and catch those responsible. On February 25 he was off duty at home when he heard shots in the woods near his house. He left the house to look into it and came across a poacher, who shot and killed him. He was 33 years old. Since then Lin has moved to Anglesey to be closer to her family and now has four grandchildren. She added: “Ian was brave and kind and wouldn’t have thought twice about trying to intervene. “For that bravery I lost my husband, his children lost a wonderful father and his grandchildren have missed out on ever getting to know him. “Now my hope is that this memorial will become a reality and that Ian’s sacrifice will not be forgotten.” Ian’s name is one of the 1,400 planned to be included on the memorial.