TASC, The Ambulance Staff Charity has thanked a social media platform for donating more than £2,500 which it has raised through the ‘power’ of laughter.
UK Cop Humour (UKCH) was founded in 2012 with the intention of countering negative comments about the police and instead highlighting the positive things they do.
A few years ago they decided to raise money for police charities and good causes through the selling of merchandise bearing the #ThinBlueLine, and have since branched out into other Facebook pages, creating UK Paramedic Humour and UK Firefighter Humour in aid of TASC and The Fire Fighters Charity respectively.
The donations are achieved through the sale of a range of merchandise and velcro patches bearing the #ThinGreenLine for ambulance staff and #ThinRedLine for firefighters.
Since the end of 2015, a total of £2,522.80 has been presented to TASC by UKCH.
A spokesman for UKCH stated:
“I started the page as a result of constant police-bashing by certain sections of the media with constant stories trying to undermine the brave work that police officers do every single day. It was winding me up to the point where I personally wanted to highlight all of the positive things that police do.
“Initially I started it for a bit of fun and to share some good news stories. Then, around three years ago, someone asked if I’d consider raising money for emergency services charities. That’s when I first got hold of the #ThinBlueLine and now I’m proud to say it’s a symbol that police officers recognise nationally as representing their part of the wider police family.
“This was so successful, I later added UK Firefighter Humour and UK Paramedic Humour with the #ThinRedLine and #ThinGreenLine respectively. The important thing about the emergency services is that they all recognise it’s not just a job – they truly are part of a much wider family.”
The spokesman continued:
“When I started UKPH, the numbers grew quickly – we now have over 50,000 fans. It’s a fan-led page and so we asked them who would best benefit in the way of ambulance charities. We were directed to TASC because of the good work that they do. Our #ThinGreenLine merchandise and patches allow us to donate to TASC and other related good causes that fans highlight to us. We are humbled that our fans have supported us and proud to have been able to donate to this amazing cause.”
All in all, UK Cop Humour and its ‘sister’ platforms have raised more than £53,000 to date for emergency service related charities.
“Our aims when we started were very simple – to remind everyone that the police are the public, and to break down any barriers that exist, where possible, through humour and positivity.
“You simply have to have a sense of humour to work in the emergency services and we love being able to share that with a wider audience – reminding them that our emergency services are much more than just uniforms.”
You can find UK Cop Humour on Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat, whilst UK Paramedic Humour is also on Facebook.
For general information about TASC, The Ambulance Staff Charity, please visit www.theasc.org.uk or call 0247 7987 922.
Fundraise for TASC