West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund AGM
A big thank you to everyone who attended our special 50th Anniversary Annual
General Meeting last Friday 26 April.
Ben Fund Chairman, John Williams opened this year’s event by welcoming our Patron, the Chief Constable Craig Guildford QPM VR DL, our honoured guest Elizabeth Dixon and fellow members to Guardians House.
John started the proceedings by taking members on a brief journey back in time to explain how the Benevolent Fund first started and what kind of assistance the fund was offering its members back in the early 1970’s.
“For half a century, we have listened, supported, championed and been there for people in times of hardship or crisis,” explained John.
“It was in 1974 that the Benevolent Fund started to give regular support to officers and their families in the form of advice and practical assistance. As the year went on, the Fund began to step in to assist by way of monetary grants to those who needed help.
“The Benevolent Fund has played a huge role in supporting serving and retired officers and police staff of the West Midlands Police and I was delighted to welcome retired dog handler, Elizabeth Dixon, as our honoured guest at this year’s special AGM,” added the Chairman.
Elizabeth, known as Liz by her former West Midlands Police colleagues, was the first female dog handler in the Force as well as the country, until a serious road traffic collision, whilst on duty, tragically cut her career short.
“I’d been working at Digbeth police station for a few years since my police dog, Czar, retired. On the morning of my accident, Saturday 1 March 1986, I assisted officers to collect a female from Erdington police station. Returning on the Aston Expressway and travelling towards the city centre, a motor vehicle coming towards us lost control in the icy conditions, spun around and hit the side of our police vehicle head-on. I was in the front passenger seat and was trapped inside the car for some time after the impact. I have no memory of the accident after that.”
Elizabeth’s accident left her Tetraplegic and several years later she was diagnosed with a severe cardiac condition. Over the years, with the help of Police Care UK, the Benevolent Fund has stepped in to offer its support, by purchasing two upgraded mobility chairs when Elizabeth’s old chairs could no longer offer the same level of comfort and functionality.
“We are very grateful to Elizabeth for sharing her personal story and agreeing to unveil our special commemorative plaque,” commented John.
From our Operation’s Committee, we said goodbye to John Carrington who has retired from his role as Wolverhampton NARPO Representative. John’s valuable contribution has spanned over 10 years. He brought lots of applications from members seeking assistance and he has been a great friend to the Benevolent Fund.
We wish him all the very best in his retirement and thank him for his dedicated service.
During the meeting, the Chief Constable presented John with a small token of our thanks.
We extend a warm welcome to Brian Tew, who has now replaced John as the new Wolverhampton NARPO rep. We look forward to working with Brian in his new role as an Operation’s Committee member of the Fund.
“It’s been another incredible year for the West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund Charity. We have more events planned as part of our commemorative year,” explained John Williams.
Our Anniversary Prize Draw is proving very popular with members. Don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a fantastic prize for every month of our 50th year. Details about the Prize Draw and how to enter are here
We are also hosting an afternoon of celebrations at Blackwell Court Adventure on Saturday 20 July. Details about the summer BBQ and family activities can be found on a dedicated page on our website