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Essex Police officers to walk over 70km in 24hrs in memory of colleague

Ewan Smith leaves behind a wife and three sons (credit: Essex Police)

Five Essex Police officers are walking more than 70 kilometres in 24 hours in memory of a friend and colleague who died unexpectedly. 

PC Ewan Smith passed away at the age of 36 in March 2020. He left behind his wife, Natalie, their sons, Austin, and twins Fletcher and Franklin who were aged five and one at the time. 

Ewan had been unable to attend work due to a headache and suffered a sudden seizure which was found to have been caused by a brain tumour. 

He never recovered consciousness and died three days later in hospital. 

More than £4,000 has already been raised for Ewan’s family (credit: Essex Police)

Nearly a year later, his team mates have agreed to walk exactly 71.449km in honour of his police collar number which was 71449. 

They will complete the challenge in just 24 hours to help raise money for Ewan’s family. 

Detective Sergeant Charlie Cronin, who is based in Grays, said Ewan’s death “came as a complete shock to us all”. 

“He was a fit and healthy young man, who had even recently taken part in a charity boxing event, which he had to do a lot of training for.

“We’ve been wanting to do something as a team to honour Ewan’s memory, and due to the coronavirus pandemic, we weren’t able to attend his funeral or arrange anything special at the time.

“None of us are athletes, but we wanted to do something that would be a challenge and somehow involve Ewan, which is why we chose this walk with a distance that reflected his police collar number. And to ensure it was a proper challenge, we set ourselves a time limit of 24-hours.”

Detective Sergeant Charlie Cronin, PC Andy Gore, PC Dave Roberts, DC Karen Bryant and PC Charlotte Vale will all complete the challenge. 

At the beginning of May, they will walk from Ewan’s home town, Southend, to Grays Police Station where they worked together.

They will then head to Chelmsford where Ewan served as a police officer and then finish their challenge at Essex Police Headquarters. 

Ewan’s parents and three sisters have also been left heartbroken (credit: Essex Police)

The group have already raised more than £4,000 for Ewan’s family, having originally set out to raise £2,500. 

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity that everyone has shown us” said PC Andy Gore, who worked alongside Ewan.

“Ewan’s family have not only had to deal with this tragic loss, but had to do so at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the introduction of a national lockdown, something that none of us had ever experienced.

“Nothing we can do will ever make up for them loosing Ewan, but if we can make them feel a little better on behalf of Ewan, then we will do all we can.”

Including the training the officers have done and the walk itself, it is estimated they will have collectively walked 2,200km for Ewan, which is the equivalent distance from Essex Police Headquarters to Athens in Greece. 

Ewan’s wife Natalie said: “I am so touched by the thought Charlie and the team have put in to this and I know that Ewan would have loved the idea.

“Incorporating Ewan’s police collar number and the areas where he lived and worked in the walk makes it very personal and special.

“It wasn’t until Charlie sent me the Just Giving link, that I realised the team were raising money for us. I was completely shocked and overwhelmed. I can never begin to thank everyone for their thoughtfulness, kindness and generosity.

“We have been left devastated by Ewan’s death and miss him every day. It’s nice to know that we’re not alone in remembering him and have the continued support of his friends and colleagues from Essex Police.”

If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

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