A CHARITY ball organised by a North Yorkshire Police officer in memory of his late colleague raised more than £4,000 for charity.

PC Suzanne Asquith died in 2016, more than four years after being diagnosed with cancer. She was such a beloved member of the force that her funeral service was held at York Minster, and included a guard of honour with then-Chief Constable Dave Jones, police outriders and mounted officers.

In May, The Press reported how PC Dan Kirven approached PC Asquith's husband Mick - also a PC with North Yorkshire Police - with the idea of holding a fundraising ball in recognition of her life and work.

Last weekend, the State 466 ball - 466 being PC Asquith's collar number, and state 4 being the police code for meal break - was held at the Principal, York, and attended by officers from around the country, with donations coming in from around the world.

PC Kirven said the amount raised was higher than he had hoped, with all proceeds divided equally between Breast Cancer Now and The Police Roll Of Honour Trust.

He said: "The evening went better than we could have ever expected. I knew it would be good but never to the degree that it turned out to be. Everybody who attended was there with the frame of mind to remember a fantastic person, but to also raise as much money as possible for two charities.

"My personal thanks go to the State 466 Team for their unwavering hard work on the night and in the build up. The team effort was second to none. One particularly poignant part of the night was the speech by [retired Deputy Chief Constable] Tim Madgwick, reading out the poem that Suzanne wrote. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. The poem and portrait [pictured in the middle between Suzanne's parents] is framed in York District Hospital. A final thank you to Mick and the family of Suzanne. Without their support, this would have never happened."

PC Asquith worked in Acomb, York and North Yorkshire, first on the frontline, then - following illness - developed and coordinated the Rock Challenge and Lifestyle projects for North Yorkshire Police, helping young people improve their communities during school holidays.

She was awarded the Gold award for Inspiration at the North Yorkshire Police Annual Awards ceremony in October 2015, and was a BEM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, and an online donation page set up after PC Asquith's death in support of Cancer Research UK had a target of £250 but has raised more than £7,500.