Farmer’s 650-mile trip to honour his brother and the emergency services
A farmer who is embarking on a 650-mile journey in memory of his brother is set to cross through Edinburgh in a horsedrawn carriage on Sunday.
Jamie Alcock began the trip from his home in Gloucestershire to his brother’s resting place in Elgin, Morayshire with his horses, Willam and Millie, and Boo Boo Beithe the farm dog on June 5.
He hopes to complete it in the coming weeks.
All funds raised before and during his trip will go towards The Fire Fighters Charity and Police Care UK.
He was inspired to take on the challenge in memory of his brother, PC John Alcock, who tragically died in 2017, 14 years after being involved in a road traffic accident whilst on duty, in August 2003.
He was travelling for his shift on Royal Protection at Balmoral at the time and never regained consciousness afterwards.
Jamie will donate 75 per cent of the money he raises to Police Care UK, which he says helped support John through a decade of round-the-clock nursing care, as well as his family in the years after the accident. The remaining quarter will go to The Fire Fighters Charity.
Jamie said: “My brother was a copper, he was injured whilst on duty and ended up in a coma for 14 years before passing away.
"The way the charities responded to it and supported his family was amazing.
"I always wanted to do something about it, and the way the charities have been hit by lack of donations, I thought now was the time to do it.
“It was probably a firefighter that was the last person that spoke to my brother as they were cutting him out of the vehicle, because he went unconscious there… It would be wrong not to include The Fire Fighters Charity.
“Both charities do the same work and I’m sure traumarelated stress must be on the increase in the fire service.”
Jamie hopes to raise £30,000 overall and has already reached more than £24,000. They are set to arrive in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh around 10-11.30am on Sunday which would be a great photo opportunity.
They will then travel on to Murrayfield for around 2pm.
To donate, you can visit Jamie’s fundraising page. You can also track Jamie’s progress on Facebook @coldcroftshires or Instagram @Straightfromthehorsesmouth2021.