I visited a recently opened boxing club in Brierley Hill to discuss some of the community work it is undertaking.
I went to Team Pumpkin Boxing on a Friday evening to speak to Carl Collins who set up the initiative and meet some of the young people who attend plus volunteers and parents.
To purchase a brand-new ring costing £6000, the club received financial support from BSN Group, Talbot Law, Harold Jones Services and UK Packaging.
Team Pumpkin has now become a Holidays Activity and Food (HAF) provider and will be providing 240 places throughout the summer school holidays for school children who live or go to school in the Dudley borough and are eligible for benefits related free school meals.
In addition, it has also introduced a healthy eating programme to allow the children to take home fresh fruit after training.
The intention is to make it a community hub and not just a boxing gym.
This is a great community asset in Brierley Hill and I would like to thank Carl and his team for their hard work in setting it up and for those companies who have helped financially.
Having a place of focus, discipline and fitness is important to young people and it sets an example that businesses and the local community care about their welfare and want them to be safe. I was really pleased to hear Carl’s ambitions for the club too and its position as a HAF provider this summer.
This government-funded programme is making a huge difference to young people’s lives not just in Dudley borough but across the West Midlands by ensuring they receive exercise and healthy food.
