Lawlessness Day in tribute to Mike (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Lawlessness Day in tribute to Mike
3:00pm Saturday 9th March 2013 in News
The Police XV’s Gareth Snowed is about to feel the force of a tackle from Alan Lewis
POLICE clashed on the rugby pitch yesterday as they remembered a former colleague who died of cancer.
A Police XV, above right, took on a Lawless XV, left, in wet conditions in a fundraising event for the Fatboy’s Cancer Charity.
The charity was established in 1999 in memory of PC Mike ‘Fatboy’ Lawless – a Swindon officer who died of cancer aged 31.
Mike was captain of the Wiltshire Police rugby team and the ‘Day of Lawlessness’ kicked off with the match at the Swindon Rugby Club ground, at Greenbridge, before a night of entertainment and live music at The Furnace, in Commercial Road.
So far, Fatboys has raised more than £100,000 and helped hundreds of children and their families, mainly by buying Christmas presents such as iPads and laptops for children suffering from cancer, leukaemia or other serious illness.
Donations are also made to cancer-related charities, such as Macmillan, and to cancer units in hospitals.
One of Mike’s friends, Nick Shah, helped to organise the event and said it was great to see everyone step out in memory of a great person.
He said: “Mike was a friend of mine and we started this off when he died.
“Mike died of cancer and at his funeral we took a collection which a lot of people put in to and we decided then to make more of it and make an annual event of it in his memory.
“It is in his memory and it gives us the chance to remember him and is an opportunity for his friends and family to get together, a lot of his family come along.”
Mike’s partner Sarah was also on the sidelines as she braved the wet weather to show her support.
She said: “It is lovely that his friends and the police do this and the money that is raised goes to charities that support children and other people with cancer.”
Donations are welcome and can be made via the internet atwww.justgiving.com/fatboyscancercharity/Donate or by cheques payable to Fatboys charity to PO Box 2812, Chippenham, SN15 5WZ.
