ONE of our local champions is Hailsham Boxing Club, Sam and his team have done so much to help our local children and indeed adults find a love for sport that is great discipline and integrity.
So, to hear that the Boxing Club was close to folding as the current premises are no longer fit for purpose and the lease is running out, meant we had to do everything we could to assist them.
The journey has taken about 12 months in total, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel.
Having exhausted low-cost options of a new home for the club (we had hoped to refurbish the barn at Grovelands, gifted to the Town Council for community use, but there is a technicality blocking quick access), we were left with the stark reality of commercial premises with commercial rents.
This required us to approach the Town Council with a fairly unique and unorthodox proposal. Will the council subsidise a commercial rent? It is an uncomfortable and unusual position for the Town Council. Initially, the Assets Committee and then the Finance Committee, before being presented to the full Town Council. There were some serious objections in the first two meetings.
Fortunately, those who know the good work Sam and the team do for our community were passionate in their support.
Finally, permission was given to subsidise the Boxing Club for at least 12 months by the Town Council at their January meeting.
Those of you who know me, are aware I get very frustrated with many council decisions, but this one I really applauded and even more so, that the final vote for this support was unanimous and many are now talking very positively with us on other opportunities as well.
The boxing club are going through the legal process of acquiring a unit on Station Road Industrial estate and hope to start the boxing element sometime in March with two full size boxing rings and a gym.
They want to be able to survive financially in the future and will be adding more session for others to join in. Hailsham Cricket Club have already trialled one of their sessions and they loved it.
We look forward to reporting on the ongoing development of this Club… and coming back to my initial point, transforming lives and giving opportunities as so many of our sports Clubs do, every week of the year.
MORE GOOD NEWS
Late last year, I was speaking with a work colleague, who also went to Hailsham Comprehensive, as it was, and he recently got involved with an art project via the Royal Society of Art and work they are doing building on the success of the ‘Bob Culture Shift Programme’, which basically provided the school with a professional artist to assist with six lessons in the school.
The results were startling, improving grades quite significantly, especially among those who perhaps hadn’t enjoyed art up until that point. A second session has started for this year.
We chatted about how we could maybe create a similar programme with exercise/fitness.
After a few discussions with various ‘friends and associates’ (Hailsham Active, Fortior Fit, Hailsham Academy and Royal Society of Arts, Focus Medical Eye Centre), we came up with the idea of introducing a number of the students, who are currently studying for their sport BTEC courses, to directly link with Fortior Fit Gym and their instructors (Diplocks estate).
A minor problem was finding drivers for the school minibuses, as for insurance purposes, the school insurance requires a recent eye test and the cost £25 needs to be authorised. To speed things up, we went for a simple solution, utilising more of the goodwill in the town, a quick chat with Anthony and Amanda at Focus Eye Centre in the High Street, and we were offered immediate, free eye tests.
We have agreed six sessions helping up to 30 pupils. I will report on results in a later edition.
