A new project delivering free boxing classes to young people at risk of violence or knife crime has received a special visit from Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach.
The PCC dropped into the City of Leicester Amateur Boxing Club last night (3rd February) to meet mentorship volunteers and young people benefiting from the sessions.
The boxing club was given a grant for £14,800 to deliver the Champion Spirit project from the Commissioner’s Early Intervention Youth Funding pot as part of his action plan to steer young people from gang violence and crime.
The funding has enabled the club, based in Saffron Lane in Leicester, to provide three hours of boxing sessions during the daytime for 50 weeks, targeting young people who have previously offended, are at risk of offending or are recovering from addiction problems. The sessions focus on delivering the Contender Amateur Boxing programme pioneered by the Metropolitan Police in its battle to reduce violence on the streets of the capital.
Additionally, the club is delivering four hours of extra mentorship from volunteers per week focusing on helping them develop personal skills including resilience, concentration and relaxation which will help them in the future. It also offers a one-hour fun fitness class for children aged six to eight at Millgate School, a residential special education needs school in the city centre.
Willy Bach said: “It is wonderful to see these young people growing in character through the discipline of sport. Already these sessions are making a difference to how they see themselves and the world around them.
“This programme has achieved significant success elsewhere in engaging with hard-to-reach groups and I’m very grateful for the time and energy being invested by these volunteers to help young people achieve their goals.
“Positive encouragement is vital to crime prevention. I have high hopes for the project and look forward to seeing the results of this work in the future.”
Project Manager, Pete Lewis, said: “We were very pleased to receive this award and it has already had a positive impact on the lives of some local young people. It gives us a great foundation to build on in the future.”
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Posted on Tuesday 4th February 2020