This weekend marks the tenth anniversary of the shocking and tragic deaths of local policewomen, Police Constables Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes.

Ten years that have in some ways flown by, and yet for their families, friends and colleagues, no doubt felt arduously slow. I have spent a great deal of time over the past decade thinking about Fiona and Nicola and their loved ones, and send them my deepest best regards now as we approach this most difficult of reminders of their loss.

Readers will recall all too well that the two young officers had been called to an incident in Longdendale, only to find that this call had in fact been disingenuous, and they had in fact been lured into mortal danger. I will not dwell on the details and motivations of their assailant as it is my strong feeling that only the names of the brave officers should go down in local history. Fiona and Nicola lost their lives protecting their community, and for that, the people of Mottram, Hattersley and well beyond will be forever humbled and grateful.

These appalling murders happened just a couple of years into my role as Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde. I remember acutely how the incomprehension and shock rocked the community. The silence as neighbours quietly watched respectfully from their front gardens as the emergency services attended the scene. The change in tone as the world’s media arrived to attempt to make sense of the story for a saddened country. The tributes which flooded in from those close to the policewomen, and a sea of flowers which grew and grew. The wise words for my friend Reverend James Halstead, then vicar at Mottram, which brought comfort and calm when it was needed the most.

Two lives were cut short that day, and many lives left marked with angst, hurt, and grief. As the nation comes together this week to process the deeply sad death of a much longer life, that of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, one commonality is clear. All three women lived lives of service. They put their duty, and their country, and the communities they loved before themselves. Dearly missed and never ever forgotten.

This weekend will see a number of opportunities for reflection, including a church service at Mottram, an event at Hattersley Hub, a charity hockey match in their honour in Altrincham, and the official gathering at their permanent memorials at Hyde police station. Fiona and Nicola, we will never forget you, and wish your families deep comfort, at this time, and always.