Richard John Foord[3] was born on 13 February 1978 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and went to Backwell School.

[5] Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Foord was commissioned into the Educational and Training Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps of the British Army on 13 April 2001.

[14] In January 2023, Foord tabled his first bill in Parliament to legalise wild camping on Dartmoor.

He has raised this issue several times in Parliament, presenting a petition calling for the government to intervene and block plans to sell part of it off in February 2024,[18] and organising a large public meeting in Colyford to allow the community to express their concerns.

[4] He previously ran the London Marathon, raising thousands to support the Royal British Legion.