93 year old woman achieves dream of riding in a Police car

Faith Whitaker was given a unique opportunity by the Rossendale Neighbourhood Policing Team as an early Christmas wish.

Faith, who has lived in Helmshore for the past 14 years, was visited by PC Nigel Baxter, PCSO Keely Dermody and PCSO Kirsty Bolton to fulfil one of her dreams of having a ride in a police car.

She went out on a patrol in her local area and kept a keen eye out for anyone committing any crime before heading back home for a well-deserved rest and a cup of tea.

“I’ve been looking forward to this, and I had a great time being out and about with the officers. It was brilliant, I didn’t know what to expect but that was better than I had hoped. Thank you so much to all of you for making my day!” said Faith.

Faith, who was originally from the Lake District in Cumbria, moved over to Rossendale over 30 years ago, settling in Helmshore 14 years ago.

Faith said she wanted to ride in a police car because she loves watching police shows on television like Police Interceptors.

PCSO Keely Dermody, who organised the visit, said: “It was fantastic to meet Faith and to hear all about her life. When we were told that it was her dream to be taken out in a police car we knew we wanted to make it happen.

“She was super excited to be able to get the opportunity, as she’s always wanted to be a police officer, and her daughter was thrilled we were able to give Faith’s the chance to live out her dream.

“As a team, we love being able to get out and meet the people in our communities. We want to show that we are more than a uniform, we’re there to listen and to help, and we like to put smiles on faces whenever we can.” First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.