Royal Navy boxing stalwart POPT Q Shillingford couldn’t escape the ring – even when he crossed the Atlantic with youngsters visiting New York City.

Q, based at Royal Hospital Haslar and Fort Blockhouse in Gosport, was invited by bosses at Mayfield School in Portsmouth to join the school’s trip to the Big Apple as thanks for his work with local youngsters.

The school had rewarded children for good conduct in the previous year and took them – and Q – to the traditional sights, including the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Ellis Island and the Empire State Building.

The petty officer in turn used his boxing contacts in the New York Police Department to arrange trips around the city and persuade a policeman to describe the challenge of being a cop in NYC.

“The trip was brilliant – the idea of giving the children a chance to visit another part of the world is fantastic,” said Q.

The United States has not seen the last of Q, himself a former Services champion and highly-rated amateur boxer.

The senior rating plans to return in September, taking the Combined Services boxing team to Washington DC to challenge their counterparts from the US Army.