The finalists from Sutton’s 999 B Relief response team and community officers from Sutton South and Worcester Park Safer Neighbourhoods Teams were playing at Goals, London Road, North Cheam, on Wednesday, 24 August.
Because of the 30+ degree heat, the players were rotated frequently with substitutes to allow them to come off and douse themselves in water whilst refreshed players came on to take their place.
The result at the end of the match was 6 v 4 to the response team against the combined Sutton South and Worcester Park team and £200 raised for charity from a tournament that involved 16 different police teams in Sutton since February.
The Dementia Awareness Cup was organised by PC Mark Towler, of Sutton South SNT, who was one of the captains in the final. The tournament was sponsored by Belmont Hyundai.
The trophy was presented by Deputy Mayor Councillor Nali Patel, Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector Kathy Morteo and Claire Thorpe, community fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Deputy Mayor Councillor Nali Patel, said: “It was a very courageous act to play in such a heat for such a wonderful cause.”
Inspector Morteo said: “Despite the heat, the game was very competitive but the real winner is the charity.”
Claire commented: “I am really grateful to the police officers in Sutton for their commitment to raising money. I think what they have done is amazing.” She said the £200 would go towards local services like the dementia café in Cheam Library and initiatives like ‘singing for the brain’ as well as towards research and their national helpline, which took 40,000 calls last year.
The Sutton’s Mayor’s charities for 2016 are the Alzheimer’s Society and Sutton Shopmobility.
Caption: Deputy Mayor Nali Patel is flanked by (left) Claire Thorpe, community fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society and (right) Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector Kathy Morteo, with the players