Thursday 18 May 2017 14:46, UK
South London pensioner Willow Winston is expected to confirm on Thursday that she will contest next month's General Election on the platform of saving Millwall Football Club for the benefit of the local community.
Questions have arisen regarding the future of the League One club, after it emerged that land surrounding The Den was the subject of a compulsory purchase order (CPO).
There had been reports of plans to seize land around the football club, as part of a wider New Bermondsey regeneration project.
However, the CPO has now been dropped - for the time being at least - but an investigation into the whole process has been set up.
And Lewisham resident Winston will now battle to become the local constituency's next Member of Parliament, when the election takes place on June 8.
The 72-year-old has been threatened with eviction from her home, and reportedly offered £58,000 in return by the council's preferred developer.
In a newspaper interview last week, Winston told The Guardian: "I intend to fight this election on a platform of decency, openness and offering a voice to everyday people overlooked or bypassed by the established parties, not least here in Lewisham.
"As a Lewisham resident who loves this part of London, I am committed to supporting the community around Millwall, its residents and small businesses and the fans of this brave club whose loyalty remains when they move far afield.
"We cannot afford to lose the cohesive force for good that Millwall FC provides for people of all ages and groups. Millwall is under threat from developers whose main concern is their own profit.
"We have felt for a long time that inner-city communities are being forced to move out of their homes at alarming rates.
"The continued gentrification of areas in cities all over the United Kingdom is, we feel, potentially destroying generations of local communities."
