More than £250,000 has been raised in less than 24 hours for the families of two police officers who died in a crash on the A66. PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on a dual carriageway hit their vehicle.
The collision took place on the A66 in South Bank, Middlesbrough, in the early hours of Saturday, August 22. Five people who were in the Passat also died. They were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18.
Fundraising page set up by Cleveland Police Federation
The Cleveland Police Federation set up a GoFundMe page at 5pm on Sunday for the families of the two officers. By 8am on Monday, it had reached £259,625 and continued to climb. Organisers say the money raised will be split equally between the two officers' families.
They wrote: "PC Matt Blades and PC Tom Clough were both dedicated and committed police officers who left their families and went to work to serve their community and protect the public. Tragedy struck these two brave Cleveland Police colleagues in the early hours of 22nd August 2026 - and they paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. They did not return home to their families."
"They leave behind heartbroken loved ones who will struggle to come to terms with the loss of their loved one. Cleveland Police Federation are supporting and will continue to support the families of Matt and Tom at this unfathomable moment. We are asking for help to support the families of our two colleagues, to assist them in any way as they try to navigate this traumatic time. Any funds raised will be split equally between their two families to be used as they so wish."
Public reaction described as 'staggering'
After the fundraising amount reached a quarter of a million, Lauren Somerville, Chair of Cleveland Police Federation, said: "We are simply staggered by the public's reaction to this fundraising request - and would like to thank each and every person who has kindly donated. It means so much. We are a small force, and the death of our colleagues has been felt deeply... we are completely numb. Matt and Tom were not just colleagues... they were friends, teammates and valued members of the policing family. If some good can come of this… and the officer's families can see such a phenomenal show of support from the public and police family towards them - and their future lives can be made just that little bit easier - then that is a small something that will keep us all going in the toughest of times."
PC Blades was married with two sons, and PC Clough leaves behind a partner. As well as supporting the officers' families, the federation is also offering support to colleagues across the force. Ms Somerville added: "The coming days and weeks will be unimaginably hard and incredibly emotional for those who knew Matt and Tom and also for the wider police service. As the immediate shock begins to settle, we know that many colleagues will continue to need support - and we are committed to ensuring that help remains available for as long as it is needed."
Investigation into the collision
On Sunday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the collision, verified some of the circumstances in the lead up to the crash. Their initial enquiries established that Cleveland Police received intelligence regarding numerous incidents linked to a Volkswagen Passat.
It said: "The Passat, which contained five male occupants, was later sighted and an armed response vehicle began a pursuit of the vehicle. Analysis of the police vehicle in car footage shows the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat travelled onto the A66 in South Bank, against the flow of traffic, at which point the pursuit was aborted by officers and they continued to travel on the correct side of the carriageway."
"A short time after the pursuit ended, approximately 10 seconds later, the Passat collided with another police vehicle which was not involved in the pursuit but in the area to assist in a search for the Passat believed to be using cloned plates that had activated an ANPR camera. It has been confirmed that following the collision at 3.39am, seven people sadly died. As reported yesterday, they included two Cleveland Police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough. We can also confirm the five occupants in the Passat who died were Michael Cahill, Theo Rae, Cole Worthy, Jacob Matusiak and Makai Saddington."
