A long-serving Metropolitan Police Officer from North Weald has been made a MBE for his work setting up a boxing club for inner city youths.PC Gerry Willmott, of School Green Lane, was awarded the accolade in the Queen's New Year's Honours list after receiving widespread praise after launching a boxing club for young people in the London Borough of Haringey in 1999, as a way of keeping young people out of trouble by teaching them the discipline of the sport.
Gerry explained: "Ten years ago we just needed something to get the kids off the streets. We wanted to do something different from football and basketball and I have a background of boxing, even after joining the police force in 1975." Speaking about his MBE,
he said: "When I found out I was completely surprised, I never expected to ever receive anything like this."Gerry is a very old family-friend and I couldn’t think of a more fitting person to receive an award of this kind. Before moving to North Weald, he lived in Chapel Road in Epping for many years and served as a police officer in Waltham Abbey. He’s a man who gives so much of his time to benefit others and is the sort of person we all aspire to be. Well done Gerry!!
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