International Police Association (IPA) visit to Leicester by Krefeld IPA
International Police Association (IPA) – Visit to Leicester by Krefeld IPA
Presidents Blog July 2019
Clive Wood is the Section UK President of the IPA. Especially pleasing is that Clive is also a member of CLETA. Here is an extract from one of his monthly blogs which gives us an inside view of what such a visit means to our local police and support staff.
Another busy month and what better way to start it than with a brewery tour in Oakham. I mentioned last month that we were expecting visitors in Leicester from Krefeld in Germany, our twin town, who we had visited last year to help celebrate their 60th Branch Anniversary. What our current Branch Chair, Tony Collins, failed to mention, when I agreed to go with him on the bus to meet them from Birmingham Airport, was that that would require me getting up at 4:30 in the morning!
However, the plane arrived on
time and we were soon on our way to Leicestershire Police Headquarters for a
full English breakfast, courtesy of the Chief Constable and IPA member Simon
Cole QPM, an experience which was well enjoyed by our 30 or so guests.
A quick coach tour of Leicester followed, which included a stop at the King Power Stadium and for those of you interested in football it is where Leicester play. There was great interest in purchasing from the club shop.
Next stop, the Grainstore Brewery in Oakham, an excellent tour by Rory followed by a tasting, followed by a first class Ploughman‘s lunch, which again was used to showcase the produce of the Shire and Rutland, with Melton Mowbray pork pie Stilton cheese and Red Leicester cheese.
After a small power nap, Tony and I were invited to join a small group for dinner in Leicester City and I was able to show them the insides of a Weatherspoon’s pub, where we sampled many more flat, dark, warm English ales, much to the amusement of many of our German friends.
The following day the group were taken around the National Space Centre in Leicester.
Meeting up for visit to International Space Centre
Lost in Space!
Helen and I joining them in the evening for a game of long alley skittles, with sausage and mash and a beautiful English evening, to sit out in the gardens and enjoy another drink.
President Clive Wood lets Marcus Kothen try on his chain of honour
On the Sunday they were taken around the Guildhall and Cathedral, together with a private tour of the Richard III exhibition courtesy of Leicester City Council (thank you), who provided wine and canapés to keep the group fully fed and watered, before some 60+ of us enjoyed a world buffet as the conclusion to the visit.
I will be travelling over to Germany later in the year, to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the IPA Training College at Gimborn. I hope to be able to pop my head in to Krefeld on the way back, as a group of police cadets from Leicestershire will be, for the third or fourth time now, visiting to take part in the soapbox derby.
