Crowded Sheffield boxing club launches £10,000 fundraising drive
With membership surging, Sheffield City Boxing Club aims to raise £10,000 to enlarge its gym space and continue supporting diverse community groups.
First the good news: Sheffield City Boxing Club is attracting so many members it is outgrowing its premises.
Now the not-so-good news: they need around £10,000 to extend their facilities and cram every one in.
It's a lot of cash to find for a community-based organisation that never turns anyone away from its door.
But club owner Brendan Warburton and his team aren't the type to duck a challenge.
And fundraising campaigns are being launched to support an extension plan at the base on South View Road, in the Sharrow/Nether Edge area.
"We are desperate for more space and have negotiated with the Sharrow Community Forum to take on the classroom next to our gym" said Brendan.
"We are waiting for the go-ahead from the council, then we hope to remove an adjoining wall so it will become part of a bigger gym.
"The room will house a second boxing ring and new flooring throughout."
Sheffield City has just had its best season yet with five national champions and the gym is busy all the time, says Brendan.
"We work with many different groups, if we can add a second ring and a better facility we feel we can do a better job in supporting the community and producing more champions in the future.
"All this will come at a cost to the club, around £10,000,so we are setting out to do some fundraising so it can be achieved."
One club member pitching in with her support is Anna Sudlow, a medical student at Sheffield University.
She has raised more than £600 by taking part in a 50km ultra marathon around Edale and Hope Valley.
Anna did a community placement at the club before becoming a volunteer. She has completed her Level 1 coaching course with England Boxing and now helps out by coaching during female-only sessions.
The 21-year-old explained: "Sheffield City is a home from home to which I owe my sanity.
"It provides low-cost or free boxing sessions to people from all sections of society including; Uni students, women-only sessions, kids sessions, sessions for older people with neurodegenerative diseases, and sessions for kids from alternative provision schools - to name just a few.
"An incredibly welcoming and diverse gym, Sheffield City changes lives across South Yorkshire through sport and community.
"It is a vital part of many peoples lives and provides us all with a second family.
"The gym is so popular that hundreds of people are coming through the doors every week. An incredible achievement but we are quite literally falling over each other for lack of space!
"So we are trying to raise funds for the room next door to our gym, in order to expand."
Brendan said the club "obviously means a lot to Anna, and it’s a great gesture from her to take on something like this.
"She has raised £900 towards our expansion and it’s even inspired myself and a couple of other coaches to put on their running shoes.
"We have entered the (Loxley Valley) “Percy Pud” race in December which at 10 kilometres is shorter than Anna’s run but again will be looking to raise much-needed funds."