'This one’s for you, mate' Best friend of police officer killed in A66 crash takes his place to complete Great North Run
The best friend of PC Matthew Blades for over 30 years has completed the Great North Run in his memory.
The best friend of one of the police officers killed in the A66 crash in Middlesbrough has taken his place in the Great North Run in his memory.
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PC Matthew Blades, who was 37, died alongside PC Tom Clough when their patrol vehicle was hit by a car speeding the wrong way last month, in which five young men also died.
A public appeal for the two men’s families raised more than £1.2 million and there has been an outpouring of grief and respect for the fallen officers, Cleveland Police Federation chair Lauren Somerville said.
Now, his best friend, Daragh Burke, from Guisborough, has taken his place and completed the Great North Run in his memory.
PC Blades was running the race in aid of Parkinson's UK after his step-mother had been diagnosed.
Mr Burke, who had been friends with PC Blades for over 30 years, shared a heartbreaking statement shared alongside a slew of photos of the two together since childhood.
In it, he said: "I know I could never replace Matty on that start line, but I’m incredibly proud to be able to carry on something that meant so much to him. I’ll be wearing his Parkinson’s UK vest and doing my best to get it around the 13.1 miles in his memory.
He added at the end: "This one’s for you, mate. I’ll get you over that finish line."
In a statement shared to social media, he said: "Earlier this year, Matty set himself a challenge. After smashing out 310km in January, he decided to dedicate 2026 to running and raising money for Parkinson’s UK, a charity that had become particularly important to him and his family.
"As part of that challenge, Matty had signed himself up for the Great North Run.
"Sadly, as most of you are aware, Matty passed away before he got the chance to make it to the start line.
"So next weekend, with two weeks training under my belt, I’ll be taking his place and running the Great North Run for him.
"I know I could never replace Matty on that start line, but I’m incredibly proud to be able to carry on something that meant so much to him. I’ll be wearing his Parkinson’s UK vest and doing my best to get it around the 13.1 miles in his memory.
"More importantly, I’d love to help continue what Matty started and raise as much money as possible for Parkinson’s UK.
"If anyone would like to donate, no matter how small, it would mean a huge amount to Matty’s family, his friends and to me.
"I suspect there’ll be a few difficult moments out there, but I also know exactly what Matty would be saying — probably something completely inappropriate while taking the piss out of my running.
"This one’s for you, mate. I’ll get you over that finish line."
