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