Seconds out, round 2!

The Skerritt family have been supporting Action Medical Research for a long time. Whether Richard or his wife Heidi are dancing a Rhumba in front of judges at the annual Midsummer Ball or organising a fundraising gala on the south coast, they have made a number of generous donations over the years to help fund our fight for tiny lives. Taking our mission statement to the next level, Richard will be stepping in the boxing ring on Saturday 6 July to once again raise funds. We caught up with the financial Managing Director to find out more…

This is the second boxing night you’ve organised for Action. There are certainly easier ways to raise funds(!) - what interests you in the sport?

I just love boxing because it is the most honest contest between two people. There’s no diving or feigning injury and there’s a great deal of skill involved. All of the athletes have to be in phenomenal shape because even going a few rounds is exhausting! It’s very scary when you’re in there with an opponent, but really exciting. 

Have you done much training for your match (we’re imagining a Rocky montage of you in the gym and running along Brighton seafront)?

Ha – well I have been taking this pretty seriously, yes. I have been training every day for the last couple of months. That’s involved a lot of sparring, general fitness and some weight sessions. My body is now a temple! I’ve even laid off the booze and junk food which has been by far the hardest part really.

What with this and the Midsummer Ball, you’ve done a lot to help raise funds and awareness for Action. Why have you chosen to support the charity?

Well, we first came across Action a few years ago. We got to know Sarah Stevenson (Action’s Senior Partnerships Development Manager) who is based over at your headquarters in Horsham. We got to learn a great deal about the work the charity does and as parents, both Heidi and I felt like we really wanted to give something back. I love the fact that Action can achieve results that can benefit every baby born forever. There are so many areas of research that you fund and I just think it’s amazing.

What should we know about the man you’re facing (Philip Philippou)?

My opponent is an experienced boxer who knows his way around the ring. Phil is shorter than me but as Joshua/Ruiz showed, that can be to his advantage. I’m hoping that my reach advantage might help out a little. 

Other than your match, what else can people expect from the night?

We have an entertaining compere on the night in Aaron James and seven other great fights which are shaping up to be really good contests. Once the matches are done we’ll have Robbie Raggio hosting a charity auction. We’ve got some tremendous prizes available there so I think it’s going to be very popular. And then we’ll all hit the dance floor!

To donate the number of pounds you would like to give, text the word BOX followed by 5, 10 or 20 to 70085.

Find out how else you can help Richard raise funds for Action Medical Research.