The Light the Lakes event was set up in 2012 where some 594 Police Officers, colleagues and staff climbed the Wainwright peaks in the Lake District to raise money for the orphaned children of murdered Surrey DC Heather Cooper. 

Every year since then the event has continued the tradition for the charity COPS (Care of Police Survivors) with teams of police officers serving and retired, colleagues and police staff from across the country climbing the peaks and at 3am lighting blue flares in remembrance of all the Police Officers that have fallen. This year is the 20th anniversary for the charity COPS.

PC Ian Winter (Viking) with the MOD Police and Sgt Simon WOODMAN (Woody) from Thames Valley Police will once again be climbing the Wainwright Fells this year in aid of the charity COPS, part of the Light the Lakes 2023. This year they will be ascending Helvellyn, England's 3rd highest mountain and will be traversing the notorious Striding Edge to reach the peak, which will bring its own challenge as Woody doesn’t like heights! Both will be travelling up and climbing on the 23rd June, lighting blues flares at 3am on the 24th. Hopefully all 214 peaks will be lit with at present every police force in the UK represented, including CNC, Military Police and NCA. In 2021 Viking and Woody raised £1670, and again in 2022 they raised £1672, £672 above their target, with the whole event raising just over £38,000 by all involved,. They are hoping to beat that this year so please donate as much as you can for this amazing charity and share the link to help raise awareness.

The father of Light the Lakes, retired PS Ian Davis, organised the first event on 28th April 2012, where some 594 Police Officers, colleagues and friends climbed Wainwright peaks in the Lake District to raise money to support the orphaned children of murdered Surrey DC Heather Cooper. The event raised in excess £30,000.Since then Light the Lakes has become an established event in the climbers diary where Police Officers, colleagues and friends climb Wainwright peaks in the Lake District to raise money to support COPS (Care of Police Survivors) who relentlessly work to provide peer support and access to counselling services to help surviving family members rebuild their shattered lives. They have helped hundreds of police families devastated by the loss of a loved one who died on duty. The Vision has always been to cover all 214 Wainwright fells to light a flare in honour of our fallen colleagues. The 2012 event was the foundation Ian Davis laid for Light the Lakes with the ambit