A ex-GMP officer has taken a trip down memory lane following an appeal by his nursing home.
The appeal was launched by Lakeside Nursing Home in Standish to reunite one of their residents, Alan Rawsthorn, with any ex colleagues and to see if any current officers would be able to give him a trip back in time.
Alan joined the force in 1958 and was a police officer for over 30 years before retiring in 1985. During his time on the force, he was given the nickname ‘Handlebar Harry’ from children who used to laugh at the quirky handlebars on his police bike, and the name has stuck ever since.
Sergeant Nick Forshaw who works across Wigan saw the appeal and reached out to the home to see how GMP could support Alan. Nick proposed a visit to the Police Museum to give Alan the chance to reminisce over past times.
Alan visited the museum on Wednesday 13 November accompanied by Sergeant Forshaw and Julie Arrowsmith a member of staff from the nursing home. Following the trip, Alan said: “I had a really amazing day at the Greater Manchester Police Museum and would like to say thank you to everyone who was involved with organising this for me. I had a fabulous time and felt really well looked after all day, it was great.”
Sergeant Nick Forshaw of Greater Manchester Police said: “As the Neighbourhood Sergeant for the area where Alan lives, I became aware of the social media appeal by Lakeside Nursing Home. I made contact with them and offered to take Alan to the Museum as a trip down memory lane.
“Alan is a lovely man and a great character, it was great hearing some of his stories and sharing each other’s experiences of working in the police.
“Our force photographer captured lots of great photos on the day, and I look forward to calling in to the care home for a catch up and a chance to show him all the pictures we captured on the day.”
