The tribute highlights PC Blades' dedication to helping others, as well as his love for Manchester United. The club described him as a "proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others." PC Blades was a junior football coach at Seaton Carew FC and FC Hartlepool, and his widow and children will attend the match on Sunday.
The collision, which also claimed the lives of PC Blades' colleague PC Tom Clough and five occupants of the other vehicle, has led to a large-scale investigation. So far, 24 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, including 17 people who were arrested earlier this week. The occupants of the other vehicle, a Passat, were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17.
The tribute to PC Blades is not the only one, as a minute's applause was held in his memory before Middlesbrough's Championship encounter with West Brom at Riverside Stadium on Saturday. Pictures of PC Blades and PC Clough were also displayed on a screen. The club's gesture is a testament to the impact PC Blades had on the community, both as a police officer and a junior football coach.
The two sons of PC Blades will lead out the Manchester United team as mascots for Sunday's Premier League match against Ipswich at Old Trafford.