Work
Tamara joined Thames Valley Police in 2005, where she worked in front-line response for four years. She then moved to neighbourhood policing in Windsor town centre. She loved the job, but craved a different lifestyle for her family.
She says: “I had a fantastic team and it was hard leaving them behind, but we were caught in the commuter belt and yearned for more in terms of home environment.”
Since the move to Cumbria Constabulary, Tamara feels she can enjoy the benefits of living in the county, as well as helping to shape the next generation.
She manages special constabulary and police support volunteers and has also helped to set up the Police Cadets and Mini Police schemes in Cumbria.
She adds: “I thought I had an amazing job in Windsor, but this tops it. It’s so diverse, we’re given creative freedom to really shape these schemes and really make a difference to children in Cumbria and give them something they haven’t seen before.”
The Police Cadets and Mini Police schemes encourage young children to work alongside the police to learn and action social responsibility, with everything from water safety to collecting for food banks and cleaning beaches.
“We really can make a difference. It inspires a new generation on what the police is all about and sparks that interest. Even if they don’t want to become police officers in the future, both our schemes make good citizens as we instil that moral compass in them.”
Live
It was the birth of their daughter in 2014 that prompted Tamara and her partner Ross White, 31, also a police officer to ask ‘surely there’s something better?’
She says: “We wanted somewhere rural and coastal that offered us a different lifestyle to what we had.
“My partner grew up somewhere that was very rural in Cornwall, so we were looking for something to replicate that. I’d been here on lots of holidays and knew we loved the area and that prompted the decision. It was blind faith.”
Moving with a small child was a challenge, but Tamara says the move gave their daughter more opportunities, such as access to good nurseries and schools, and they’ve had plenty of support.
“The nurseries we’ve come across have been wonderful with her and us; supporting our transition at the beginning,” she adds.
“We didn’t know anybody when we moved up here and our first impressions were that everyone really embraced us. Being from the south, we stuck out like a sore thumb, but we were welcomed into the community we moved into.
“The local community helped us find our feet and put us in contact with people to help us.
“It was knowing which areas to buy in that we struggled with - we had absolutely no clue. The estate agents were great with us, helping advise on which areas would fit our needs.
“There's a network that you don’t realise exists until you move here.”
Play
“We live near Ullswater, so spend a lot of time there with the dog. We do a lot of child-based activities, like Rheged, with our three-year-old and there’s so much she can get involved in.
“We want to enjoy the environment that we now call home, not take it for granted, and get involved in as many things as we can,” Tamara says.
“The move to Cumbria has given us everything we wanted and more.
“From a work capacity, I’ve had so many more opportunities given to me through Cumbria Constabulary. That then complements everything outside of work, too.
“The ability to come out of the commuter belt we were stuck in and purchase a much larger house - a home that we never would have dreamed of being able to buy in Windsor.
“It’s not as chaotic as what we left behind. We’ve achieved that classic different pace of life. We're still very busy, but it’s much nicer to be busy when you’re surrounded by lovely things."
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