“MY BELOVED HUSBAND, MY BEST FRIEND” — WIFE OF PC MATTHEW BLADES PAYS HEARTBREAKING TRIBUTE AFTER A66 CR@SH

“No words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt.”

Those are the heartbreaking words from the wife of PC Matthew Blades, one of two Cleveland Police officers who died in the devastating A66 collision in August.

Matthew was just 37.

But to his family, he was so much more than a police officer.

He was a husband.

A father.

A coach.

And, in the words of the woman who loved him most, her best friend.

“THE MOST DEVOTED FATHER”

In a tribute released by Cleveland Police, Matthew’s wife described him as her “beloved husband” and “the most devoted father” to their two young boys.

She said their children would grow up knowing what an incredible father he was.

And Matthew’s love for his sons extended beyond their home.

He coached youth football, including teams connected to his own children.

Friends and fellow coaches have since remembered him as a role model, mentor and friend — someone who gave his time to young players both as a father and a coach.

THE A66 TRAGEDY

Matthew and fellow officer PC Tom Clough, 38, died in the early hours of August 22 after a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on the A66 collided with their police vehicle.

Seven people lost their lives in the crash — five young men travelling in the Passat and the two police officers.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision, including the police pursuit that preceded it.

The investigation remains ongoing.

“FOREVER OUR SUPERHERO”

For Matthew’s family, however, the tragedy is not about police procedures or investigations.

It is about a husband who will never walk through their front door again.

A father who will not watch his boys grow up.

A football coach who will not stand on the touchline cheering them on.

His wife ended her tribute with words that captured the depth of the loss:

“Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our superhero. Our Matt and Dad.”

Across the North East, tributes have continued to pour in.

And as Matthew’s family faces a future without the man they loved, one thing is clear:

To the public, he was a police officer.

To his wife and children, he was simply Matt.

Their husband.

Their dad.

Their hero. 💙