RailSport Rugby is to donate half of the entrance fees for this summer’s tournament to raise money for the BTP officer who stepped in to try and stop the London Bridge attackers.
The tournament, which will include competitors from the BTP, is being held as part of the RailSport competition at Loughborough University on the 8-9 July.
Fifty per cent of the entrance fees received for the rugby tournament will be donated to a charity set up to support the recovering BTP officer – a big rugby fan – and the Red Cross Solidarity Fund for victims of terror.
The BTP officer, who has not been named, received stab wounds to his head, arm and leg during the attacks. In a statement he said he’d been ‘overwhelmed’ with the support he had received – not just from the UK but from around the world.
His actions have been praised by BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther, especially given he has been with the police force for less than two years.
Says Paul O’Connor, managing director of event organiser Rail Media, ‘The BTP officer’s actions during the attacks on 3 June were beyond brave. He acted without any thought for his own safety in order to protect the public. The fact that he had been with the BTP for such a short period of time was even more astonishing.
‘We know he enjoys his rugby and, with RailSport just a month away, we wanted to find a way to allow the industry to show its appreciation.’
A charity raffle will also be held on 8 July to raise additional funds.