Group walks 100 miles to Bristol in memory of murdered Met officer
Matt Ratana was shot dead inside Croydon Police Station in 2020
A group from the Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation has completed a four day walk from Reading to Bristol, in memory of a Metropolitan Police officer who was shot dead four years ago.
Matt Ratana, a passionate rugby player and coach in his spare time, was just months away from retirement from the Metropolitan Police when he was shot dead by Louis de Zoysa inside Croydon Police Station, in 2020.
Since then his friends have created the Foundation in his name, aiming to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people through rugby.
"We work in schools to identify children who are disadvantaged or maybe taking the wrong path in life and we try and introduce them to rugby within a school," Ant Weller, who took part in the walk, said.
"Then we have a partnership scheme with an organisation called Star Scheme and they do exactly the same, but they place those children into rugby clubs.
"So we can take a whole life approach to it."
The group's walk began at the headquarters of Thames Valley Police in Reading and finished at Ding Crusaders Rugby Football Club in Frenchay four days later.
"We did one (a walk) for the anniversary of Matt's death last year," Ant said.
"We did that from his gym in Sussex, up through the rugby club he coached at East Grinstead, onto Croydon Police Station where his death happened, then New Scotland Yard, then London Irish where he played as a player.
"That was about 100 miles so when we set up the game, we basically worked back 100 miles from there and you end up at Reading and Thames Valley Police headquarters."
Tonight (21 February) a charity match in aid of the Foundation will be played at Ding Crusaders.
Sean Morgan who co-founded the Foundation said they have raised several thousand pounds through the walk.
"Various different clubs that we've stayed at as we've journeyed down from Reading (have raised money)," he said.
"I know Hungerford RFC managed to gather £1,100 in a quiz night...
"People have worked hard online as well, I think we've raised over £2,000 there.
"All together it looks as though it's close to £5,000 pounds now.
"To come back to the young people who need help, for us to set up a programme within a school, by the time we measure the costs of getting that programme together, the coach, having people engage with the head teachers and explain to all the staff what that's about, that first session for that youngster carries the highest price of only £7.
"So that £5,000 has gone a long, long way to helping several hundred young people."
You can read more about the Foundation and donate via its website here.