Prisoner's art for charities
Artwork created by notorious British prisoner Charles Bronson has fetched hundreds of pounds for worthy causes ahead of a charity football match in Wakefield.
Darren Powell, from Kettlethorpe, is organising the game in Ossett, featuring a team of celebrities and TV stars, in memory of his friend and Leeds United fan Michael Kew who died in 2015.
Bradley Lowery, a terminally ill five-year-old boy from County Durham, was announced last month as the mascot for the game.
Now prisoner and artist Bronson – who recently changed his name to Charles Salvador – has donated four drawings to raise money towards the charity football match, after Mr Powell wrote to him.
Mr Powell, 31, said: “I saw recently that he had done pictures for charity and for Bradley, so I asked him if he could help us.
“I know a lot of people don’t like him but I was just intrigued about him. I think he has raised £250,000 for charities and at the end of the day he has helped me and others out.”
The four drawings by Bronson, who is serving a life sentence in HMP Wakefield, were auctioned for a total of £300, which will be split between Bradley and Macmillan Cancer Support.
The charity match at Ossett Town AFC takes place on May 14 and confirmed stars to feature include ex-Leeds footballer Noel Whelan, Emmerdale’s Adam Thomas, Anthony Quinlan and James Hooton and Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac.
They will form a TV Stars XI to take on Mr Powell’s Michael Kew XI, led out by Bradley.
North East artist Barry Jones has also donated a portrait of Bradley to Mr Powell to auction for charity.