New Bury Boxing Club was set up in 2021 through the VRU’s community-led programme in New Bury, Bolton, as a direct response to feedback from the local community around crime and violence and lack of positive activities for young people. The club has been building up slowly since then to create a sustainable boxing club with targeted activity sessions for young people based in New Bury and the surrounding areas.

New Bury Boxing Club currently offers four activity sessions per week, soon to be increased to six. Towards the end of 2023, the club received their affiliation with England Boxing and now they have their first three amateur boxers.

Simon Green, Boxing Coach at New Bury Boxing Club, said: “To start from scratch and to get where we are in two and a half years is amazing. It’s been what seems like a long process to get access to the community centre and to find volunteers who are willing to give up their time to help build the club. It has all been made worth it though watching the young people who come through the doors every session.”

Lisa Ford, Boxing Coach at New Bury Boxing Club, said: “Boxing is a unique sport, it helps engage some people who wouldn’t necessarily feel like they fit in anywhere else. In only a few short months, you see a huge impact on a young person’s confidence, behaviour and discipline. It’s really lovely to watch and see how a young person develops through boxing.”

New Bury Boxing Club has four key areas of focus:

• Safe space creation in the community for young people to get off the streets and into areas where they can make new friends.
• Health and wellbeing for all, by helping boost confidence and self-esteem and increase aspirations.
• Community-focused, involving members of the community in coaching and ownership of the club, fostering a sense of pride, and belonging.
• Opportunities offered to young people and volunteers who hadn’t had access to them previously, breaking generational cycles in the area.

Chantelle Nice, Boxing Coach and Secretary at New Bury Boxing Club, said: “We have had a few young people come through the club who are now completely different to when they first entered the door. Dakota, who is one of our new amateur boxers, was really shy at first but now she’s beaming with confidence and always has a smile on her face.”

New Bury Boxing Club also endeavours to address wider issues in the community, such as the current cost of living crisis, with some of its volunteer coaches often cooking nutritious meals for the young boxers. Not only does this make sure they are refuelling after tough sessions but helps ease the pressure on local families knowing that their child will get a healthy hot meal.

The club has developed eight local parents into qualified England Boxing Coaches, with five currently actively running the club. Some of the coaches have gone on to receive employment through the skills they have gained from volunteering in the club. These coaches have become trained mentors within the community through StreetGames and the club has received external funding to help deliver mentoring in the community.

Learn more about New Bury Boxing Club: New Bury Boxing | Facebook

Article posted on: 06/03/2024 01:03pm