A charity cycle tour in memory of a North Yorkshire police officer who took his own life starts this Saturday.
Charity cycle ride in memory of local police officer returns this weekend A charity cycle tour in memory of a North Yorkshire police officer who took his own life returns to the region this Saturday (15th July). The annual 'Tour de Aky' is now in its fifth year and is organised in memory of former police officer Mick 'Aky' Atkinson who sadly took his own life in 2018. The charity cycle ride aims to fundraise in memory of Mick, whilst also raising awareness for mental health. Started by Mick's best friend PC Pierre Olesqui in 2019, the event will tour 106.6 miles around West and North Yorkshire - a nod to Mick's collar number of 1066. And this year the event will again be fundraising for MIND, Andy's Man Club and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. [caption id="attachment_13500" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Tour de Aky is organised in memory of PC Mick 'Aky' Atkinson.[/caption] The event will see two groups of cyclists starting in the village of Woodlesford, where Mick was born and grew up. The 106-mile route will take in Otley, Leathley, Castley and Burn Bridge before a pitstop at Harrogate police station. The groups will then head up towards Killinghall and Ripley and pass through Knaresborough on its way to York. Neighbourhood PC Pierre Olesqui, who created the event, said:
"The event is to try and raise awareness of mental health and how people may be struggling, whilst also remembering Aky. "We’re visiting places that meant something to him. We’re starting in Woodlesford where he was born and raised, we’re doing it on his birthday, and then we go to places like Headingley, Elland Road and all the police stations that he worked at."[caption id="attachment_70821" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The route for this year's Tour de Aky.[/caption] Roads Policing Sgt Paul Cording BEM from North Yorkshire Police, who is taking part in the ride, said:
"This year we’ll be riding with five collar numbers on our shirts, because five North Yorkshire Police officers in the last five years have found those struggles too much. "We need to do more, we need to talk about it and we need to raise funds for these three fantastic charities."Listen to the interview with Pierre and Paul in full on the latest Your Harrogate Podcast here. To find out more or to contribute towards the Tour de Aky 2023, find the GoFundMe page here. Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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