May Newsletter

This months newsletter reflects on the inspiring work of Sam Buchanan and his team at Hailsham Boxing club and also a couple of new opportunities for our slightly older generation, plus a medical breakthrough for those suffering from disabilities.

As you will recall in recent editions, Hailsham Boxing club has been fighting for its very survival with their old premises no longer fit for purpose.

Fortunately with the help of Hailsham Town council and a whole host of local businesses and of course the huge support of the members of the club, they have been able to restart at Station Road Industrial Estate.

They will have the official opening in early may, where some wonderful supporters will attend, not least, Empire Boxing Club. They will help take Sam and his team to a new level of support for the community. So much of sport is much more than the winning and losing of the competition, it is about our mental health and feeling part of the community and Empire Boxing fully understand and have developed this.

The other lovely thing here is the fact that a few years ago, I am confident Hailsham Town Council would not have supported this club, but the majority are now understanding and seeing the value our local clubs bring to Hailsham, and we are very grateful for this turnaround and to all the councilors that endorse sport in our town.

Hailsham Boxing club also promote education with a classroom on site and already have a number of schools participating and benefitting from this alternative and successful approach.

I recently sat down with a good friend of mine (and old friend of our town), retired solicitor, Bruce Hayter. When I say retired he still does a lot and is current President of Sussex Rugby. One of his recent projects is getting people back into sport, particularly walking sport which is growing massively across the country.

He is helping organise a day of trying out ‘walking sport’ at the Saffrons in Eastbourne.

It will be held on Friday 17th July from 9am – 3pm. Free parking and free coaching and support.

Sports available will be Football, Cricket, Rugby, Croquet, Hockey, Cricket and for the first 15, an opportunity to try Padel.

Again, the sport aspect is important, but so is being part of a great communal group. If you’ve been thinking about it, what a great opportunity to find out and speak to some enthusiastic supporters and coaches.

Also, if your club is interested in setting up a walking team, why don’t you send a representative down to find out more?

A few of you will know the term ‘foot drop’ and the devastating effect it can have on mobility, particularly for those living with MS, MND,  or recovering from a stroke.

For those of us that don’t know, foot drop happens when the brain’s signal to lift the foot doesn’t reach the muscles correctly. This causes the toes to drag, often leading to trips and falls. It is very debilitating and can mean people lose the confidence to stay active or even venture outdoors.

My daughter in law, who works closely with scientific research came across a breakthrough from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. They are developing special shoes specifically to overcome this problem.

This research is still early and the shoes aren’t yet available for everyone, but they are already seeing a great impact. One of the trial participants created a moving video called ‘Gaining Ground: Andy’s foot-drop journey’. It really highlights the power of bringing the right people together to break down barriers to staying active.