A new home for local boxing club

A local boxing club has opened doors to new and improved premises in Scunthorpe, after months of revamping the building, and fundraising during lockdown.

Riddings Amateur Boxing Club offer a range of boxing and fitness classes for all ages. Previously using space at Riddings Youth Centre, they had been trying to get their own permanent base for a long time – somewhere they could call home and that could be a community hub for the local area.

That was when Kenny, club Chairman, was made aware of the site on Enderby Road, Riddings, where our Choose to Reuse shop used to be. There was work to be done in transforming it into the space they needed, but Ongo and the club were committed to making this happen, and soon afterwards, they had their own home.

Kenny explained: “I was getting disheartened with it all before and the stress led to me fall out of love with boxing. However, this opportunity came up and changed everything – we couldn’t have picked a better location. Not only does it mean we can remain a part of the community where the club first set up over 30 years ago, but we can also open every night of the week which we couldn’t do before.

“That’s what we’re all about, we want to offer a variety of support, as affordable as possible, to as many people as possible, and for the community to get involved. Ultimately, if the neighbourhood are proud and see it as somewhere they can learn new skills, meet new people, keep fit and improve their wellbeing, then we know we’re doing something right.”

Two of the coaches, Pete and Steve, ran 5k every day for a month and raised over £2,000 for the club which was spent on new equipment. The club also succeeded in applying for £1,500 from our recent Safer Streets fund that will provide free sessions to local young people.

They opened their doors for the first time in April, in line with the government roadmap out of lockdown. Kenny spoke about the tough journey to get ready for welcoming people again, but how it had all been worth it.

He said: “Jan and Kerry from Ongo were a huge help in making sure we could move in last November. There was a lot of work such as painting, plastering, opening up the space and planning permission, but lockdown gave us the opportunity to do this. It was a real team effort, something which has meant it’s not taken long to feel like what we want it to be.

“Our aim for now is to get settled here, offer lots of different opportunities, and for local people to know that we’re here for them.

“The support I’ve received from Ongo from the start has been brilliant, they’ve helped to make this dream a reality, and I can’t thank them enough. It has been crucial to have their backing and I can’t wait to work with them in the future.”

To find out more about what they offer, search ‘Riddings Amateur Boxing Club’ on Facebook or click here. If you’d like details on other leasehold opportunities, please email homeownership@ongo.co.uk.