The 2026 local election campaign has barely got underway, but already one of the contenders is having to bob and weave.
Punchy: Richard Howard gets into the boxing ring tonight for a good cause
When Richard Howard steps into the boxing ring at the Westcroft Leisure Centre in Carshalton tonight, he will be a politician who, for once, will be pulling no punches.
Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Howard was once known as Major Howard, a bomb disposal expert who served in the British Army. Tonight, he’s pulling on a pair of gloves at white collar boxing night where he’s hoping to raise thousands of pounds for a veterans’ charity.
The Felix Fund supports bomb disposal and search personnel and their families, with welfare assistance and financial support for anyone who has conducted or assisted with bomb disposal duties, across all three services as well as the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terror unit, SO15.
Howard’s closing in on his fund-raising target of £5,500, and is hoping that his time in the ring tonight will land a knock-out blow for his fund-raising. He says that, at least in part, he’s decided to fight for funds in this way out of a sense of “survivor guilt” that affected his own mental health, especially during the isolation of lockdown.
“During my time in the Army, I served as a ‘high threat’ bomb disposal operator in Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan,” Howard said.
Plush: white collar boxing nights lay on an evening of black-tie entertainment, while people’s mates slug it out in the ring
“Sadly, some of my friends and colleagues never came back. For those that did, the long-term effects can lead to devastating consequences across all aspects of their lives. Not all of these effects are visible.
“By giving generously to The Felix Fund, you are helping them to both change lives and save lives for those suffering from the physical and mental impact of conducting this high-pressure and dangerous role.”
The major’s Justgiving page can be reached by clicking here.
And there won’t be any nonsense among candidates at next year’s election hustings…
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