CALL the Midwife Star Cliff Parisi is set to auction an oil painting of former Featherweight champion Lee Selby in aid of Vale hospice Ty Hafan.

An oil painting of Mr Selby, who is from Barry, is to be auctioned at the annual British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) dinner to raise money for Ty Hafan.

This year’s event in January raised £4,000 for the children’s charity at the Marriot Hotel in Cardiff.

David Page, organiser of the BBBC dinner - who is also Mr Parisi's cousin - said: “We had 500 people attend this year’s event at the Marriot and we are hoping even more attend next year's event.

Barry And District News: Oil painting of Lee Selby to be auctioned at boxing charity event. Picture: David PageOil painting of Lee Selby to be auctioned at boxing charity event. Picture: David Page (Image: David Page)“We had Welsh boxer Enzo Maccarinelli on the boxing Welsh wall of fame, and we raised £4,000.”

Next year, event organisers are honouring Lee Selby on their Boxing Wall of Fame with actor Cliff Parisi auctioning off his oil painting.

Mr Parisi is best known for his role of Minty in Eastenders and Fred Buckle in Call the Midwife, he also appeared in series 19 of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2019.

Mr Page added: “I am very pleased and excited that my cousin Cliff Parisi has agreed to attend the event next year.

“He will be auctioning off the oil painting that my wife created of Lee Selby, with all proceeds going towards the children’s charity Ty Hafan.

Barry And District News: Call the Midwife star Cliff Parisi to auction Lee Selby painting at Boxing Charity event in January. Picture: SuppliedCall the Midwife star Cliff Parisi to auction Lee Selby painting at Boxing Charity event in January. Picture: Supplied (Image: Supplied)“Tickets are already selling well for next year, and we are hoping that more boxing fans in Barry and other places will attend the event.”

Mrs Page created an oil image of Mr Selby standing in St Joseph Boxing Gym where he trained in Newport along with the Welsh Flag.

Mr Page added: “It’s a lovely painting, she spent over two months working on it and had never done a boxer before and went to Lee’s house to paint some of it and used it as a base to produce it again in a gym setting.”  

The 39-year-old boxing champion will be honoured on the Welsh Boxing Wall of Fame at the dinner with his painting being auctioned on Friday, January 26.