A charity boxing match to support East Kent Mind raised more than £1,700.

Charleen Carnell lost her dad Sean, aged 39, to suicide when she was 16. Now, on the 20th anniversary of his death, she decided to stage a fundraising event to support local services that tackle anxiety and depression.

After weeks of training Charleen entered the ring at the event staged at the County Showground, Detling, cheered on by supporters – and won her bout.

Charleen said: “When dad died it was the most difficult thing my family and I had to go through- in particular me and my younger brothers, who were all children. Suicide prevention is something I am very keen to support and so this year, in memory of my Dad, I wanted to support East Kent Mind.

“I bet my dad is looking down on me now laughing, but egging me on to ‘whack em’ like I used to when we would spar in the front room when I was a kid. Not sure I quite have that stamina at this age.”

Simon Dolby from East Kent Mind said: “We are so grateful to Charleen for taking on this charity challenge to support East Kent Mind’s suicide prevention work. The funds will go to support frontline services in the Thanet and Canterbury district including the Crisis Cafe in Ramsgate.”

It is not too late to sponsor Charleen’s fundraising work. Click the link to visit her JustGiving sponsor page:

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/charleencarnellboxing

To find out more about fundraising for East Kent Mind contact Simon Dolby on simondolby@eastkentmind.org.uk