About this time two years ago I was privileged to meet, through Peckham Rye London Jay Baldwin and Brian Wood of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment just before they departed on a fundraising bike ride across the USA and between myself and Mick Cooper we were able, through the Millwall fraternity, to raise a fair amount of additional funds to help them on their way. This was quite important as Jay's osseointegration surgery had practically wiped out the funds of the PWRR Benevolent Fund.

Subsequently to the bike ride Mick, his stellar contact list and friends went onto to produce the fabulous Party4Heroes and more recently, with the full blessing of Millwall FC, a Millwall Legends v PWRR charity match, which must have raised the best part of £ 20,000 between them.

So what next?

In my infinite wisdom or stupidity, I have decided that at the age of 53 it would be a good time to take up boxing and to this end I am currently in training to take part in a bout on 7 December at the East Winter Garden in Canary Wharf, with the sole purposes of raising as much as possible  through sponsorship and/or ticket sales. I have never boxed before and am literally doing this from a standing start, and surprise, surprise I am the oldest among my fellow competitors by about ten years, so my challenges are many but with dedication and the encouragement of others they are challenges I intend to meet. 

The moneys raised will go to the PWRR Benevolent Fund and the excellent Factory East based in Bromley-by-Bow, an area which has a strong family connection.