I am over the moon that there is finally an honour for Nicola
North Pole, which raised £250,000. He also launched the PC Nicola Hughes Memorial Fund – and has since raised more than £1million.
The fund mainly supports kids of victims of crime – often where one parent has been killed by the other, meaning the children are living in care or being looked after by elderly grandparents. These are causes that Bryn knows would have been close to Nicola’s heart.
Bryn, who was awarded an MBE last year, says: “Nicola was such a caring person. She was always the first to offer to help, and I thought of what she’d want to do with this money. We’ve paid for therapy, equipment so they can attend school from home if they aren’t able to go back in person, trips away, especially to scatter their parent’s ashes, whatever they need.”
The fund has also paid to train Victim Support volunteers and for rehab equipment for injured police. Alongside his fundraising, Bryn has also been campaigning hard with the Police Federation for recognition for Nicola’s sacrifice. Servicemen and women killed in action or terror attacks have been awarded the posthumous Elizabeth Cross since 2009 – but there was no civilian equivalent. Bryn says: “We originally started campaigning for a policing medal before coming across so many other families whose loved ones deserved to be honoured.
“There was the family of a paramedic killed by a brick through his windscreen, a teaching assistant who was stabbed in the classroom, and I knew there had to be something official for these heroes too.
“The fact that Nicola’s actions have been officially commended by the highest point of authority in the country is really important to me and I hope it will provide solace for other families, too.”
The emblem – named after the late Queen Elizabeth II, who Bryn was told supported the campaign and wanted it to bear her name – recognises civilians who have given their lives in public service since 1948.
Applications made through the website go first to a committee, then the Prime Minister and ultimately King Charles for approval. The gong was launched almost 10 years to the day from Bryn setting up the memorial fund, which the dad, who separated from Nicola’s mum years before her death, says “feels really right”.
He adds: “We’ll always miss Nicola. She’s left a hole that can’t be filled. I’m proud of everything she has achieved in life, and I hope she would be proud of what we’ve achieved in her name too. None of us live for ever, but hopefully Nicola’s legacy will.”
Steve Hartshorn, of the Police Federation of England and Wales, believes the emblem will mean a lot to its members, saying: “This announcement acknowledges that in the most tragic of circumstances, an officer’s family will receive formal state recognition for their loved one’s sacrifice.”
Bryn hopes to receive Nicola’s medal in the next few weeks.
He adds: “When it arrives it will go in a frame in pride of place next to a photo of Nicola.
“But for special occasions, like National Police Memorial Day, I shall pin it to my chest with pride.”