A new gym extension at a North East boxing club is aiming to get more people active and improve health in a community.
Grangetown Amateur Boxing Club has expanded its facilities with the support of Future Regeneration of Grangetown (FROG) to serve a wider range of users and address health inequalities.
The extension transforms the space into a full community gym, offering indoor bikes, rowing machines, weights and expanded boxing facilities.
The new extension includes exercise bikes, rowing machines, weights and extra training space for a wide range of community groups (Image: Supplied)
Lynn Pallister, community enterprise manager at FROG, said: "The extension will make a real difference to the community.
"We can offer so much more to people right across Grangetown, not just a more extensive offer for our boxers, but also families, women and girls, older residents and anyone else who wants to get active on their doorstep.
"We're already seeing more people getting involved, and the new facility is going to be brilliant for people's health and confidence for years to come."
Grangetown Amateur Boxing Club began as part of the FROG community hub, which opened in 2019 in a former pub and social club.
unding partners and community leaders have backed a major expansion at Grangetown Amateur Boxing Club to tackle health inequalities (Image: Supplied)
The hub was developed in response to plans to demolish the area's last remaining shops and leave the site derelict.
FROG secured funding, including support from the National Lottery's Reaching Communities and Power to Change programmes, to develop the building into a £1.6 million centre.
The hub now includes a play village, café, event space and five retail units.
The boxing club was launched at the request of local young people and quickly became a popular fixture in the community.
Sessions run three nights a week for boxers of all ages and abilities, with an additional session for those competing.
As demand grew, the need for additional space became clear.
The extension was developed in consultation with coaches, club members and other community groups to ensure it met the needs of the people using it.
Funding for the project came from Sport England and You've Got This, the South Tees place-based partnership, as well as Enovert Community Trust.
Construction was carried out by local contractor Warsetts.
The expanded facility now allows boxing training to continue on its usual nights, while the gym is in use from as early as 5.30am for a range of other activities.
These include sessions for older people, local football and netball teams, boxercise classes and general fitness groups.
Mark Fishpool, programme director at You've Got This, said: "The extension is the latest step in a long-standing relationship with Lynn and the wider FROG team.
"We've backed this partnership from the start, right through from the original boxing club to this new extension.
"What's fantastic is that this wasn't planned for the community; it was planned with them, and that's exactly the kind of local leadership we want to see right across South Tees.
"The more people we get moving and staying active, the more we can start to close the health inequalities gap this area faces, and that's ultimately what this is all about."
Sessions remain low-cost, with subsidised rates for boxing and keep-fit classes.
Other activities are also subsidised, including those with men's mental health groups and Recovery Connections.
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Ms Pallister said: "It's an amazing, affordable space that is accessible to all, where people feel comfortable, confident and proud to be."
Coaches believe the club gives young people structure, discipline and positive role models.
FROG plans to continue widening access by working with more groups to help them transition from support sessions in the hub to regular activity in the gym.
Coaches also hope the additional space will support the development of more competitive boxers in the future.