Parliamentary and Met Police Rugby teams pay tribute to PC Keith Palmer
3 min read
Conservative MP Mark Pawsey reports back from a very special rugby match between the Commons and Lords Rugby team & the Met Police team in honour of the late PC Keith Palmer raising funds for a charity which supports families of fallen police officers.
The Commons and Lords RFC is a parliamentary rugby team open to players of all levels and ages who have links to Parliament. The team is made up of Parliamentarians past and present from both Houses and from across the political parties, Parliamentary staff and those who work on the Parliamentary Estate. The Club was established in 1984 and its purpose is to play and promote the sport of rugby union within Parliament, between national parliaments, within the community and for charitable purposes.
On Saturday 18 November, the Commons and Lords RFC played a very special fixture against the Met Police RFC. The match was set up in memory of the late PC Keith Palmer, the officer who tragically lost his life during the attack on Parliament earlier this year.
The game was well attended with Parliamentarians (James Cleverly, James Heappey, Lord Addington and myself) and Parliamentary staff taking to the field against an athletic Police side. Prior to kick off the whistle was blown and a clapped applause was given as a tribute. It was a well contested dual and both teams put in a strong performance but the Met Police ended up the victors 27 - 5! The first quarter of the match was played in a Touch format to include female players who wished to show their support and respect on the field. James Cleverly, MP for Braintree, spoke at the post match meal, sharing his personal memories of Keith Palmer both in a military and parliamentary context.
This memorial charity match was in aid of COPS (Care of Police Survivors) which was set up to help the families of police officers who have lost their lives whilst on duty. They aim to ensure that survivors have all the help they need to cope with such a tragedy, and that they remain part of the police family as they rebuild their lives.
There is a Justgiving page set up https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/CLRugby18Nov for anyone who would like to donate. Many generous auction prizes were donated and over £7000 has been raised to date.
As MP for Rugby, the birthplace of the game and Chairman of the Commons and Lords RFC, Saturday was a very special fixture for me as we played in memory of PC Keith Palmer, a true hero. We are very grateful for all the Police to do to keep us safe both in Westminster and elsewhere and I'm pleased that the Club have been able to honour and remember our brave police officers in this way, and to fundraise for such a worthy cause. Thank you to everyone who turned out on the day, whether to play or to watch the game and cheer on both sides.
The Club would like to thank DS Marc Grange part of the Counter Terrorism Command at the Met Police and Richard Austin (President of Essex RFU) for their hard work in setting up this memorable match.
Mark Pawsey is the Conservative MP for Rugby
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