Local boxing club may close, risking youth involvement in gangs. Facility sale is causing local outrage.
Aaron says many young people die nearby. These individuals are often friends of his friends. He doesn’t know what he’d do without boxing and thinks it would cause chaos if it moved. Dylan Blythe and Charlie Cooper box nationwide, and they started at the club.
Dylan Blythe and Connor Cooper found discipline there. They gained fitness and friendship. Dylan joked he’d be in jail otherwise. The NAABC has over 400 members, but now, it faces a serious threat. Coaches worry they can’t help kids anymore.
MyLondon asks the council to protect the club by either stopping the sale or finding a better place. The new place must fit lots of young people. Bill Graham learned in September about the sale. The council owned the land since March 2020 and is selling assets to pay off debt.
The council says they’re working with affected groups. However, Bill Graham said they kept them in the dark. He joined the club as a boy.
Bill Graham says the council gave little information, and they heard about the move through gossip. The council told them to relocate soon. One member says the council isn’t helping enough, as this member wanted to keep the club there.
She says the council ignores community bids, even though the Localism Act allows these bids. Residents can nominate important places, which lets them bid if the owner sells. She found a developer to buy it, but the council took another offer. Her offer matched the other bid at £850,000.
The council suggested moving to Rowdown Pavilion. However, it’s a small facility near a tram stop, and the coaches say it’s not good enough. Tim Copeman says a ring won’t even fit.
The pavilion holds few children, while the current space holds many more. Bill Graham says they’d teach only five or six kids there. It’s far from New Addington’s center, and there’s poor lighting, making it unsafe. People leave flowers there for Sarah Mayhew, whose remains were found nearby.
The council says they worked with the club. The club temporarily used the community center. They told the club in 2023 about the sale, and the pavilion was the only option. The council claims the club declined it.
Bill and Zoe Graham disagree. He said the room was unfit. Graham says it’s a chaotic litter tray, stating the ceiling even falls in the kitchen. Graham says it needs a total rebuild.
He estimates the repairs will cost lots of money for volunteers. They’ve never been paid, says Blythe. This is not the first fight for the club. It started in a school hall fifty years ago, and they’ve been through four buildings.
In 2020, they moved from the Timebridge Centre after 20 years. Coaches then criticized the communication. They faced another eviction in 2022.
This time is worse, they say. The club grew a lot recently. It attracts many young members, and good coaches make it popular. The coaches fought and live there, so they know it matters with rising violence.
A man was stabbed near the club days after a visit. Bradley Hutchins died in a stabbing in 2023. The club helps at-risk kids. Its location lets kids access coaches easily, and Bill Graham says crime decreased. Potential gang members train there at the club.
The club welcomes all, and lower-income kids box for free. Coaches help neurodivergent children.
One member’s son has ADD. Other clubs rejected him, but this club accepted him. Now he may turn professional.
The club paused until they get a solution. Bill Graham says the council is not helping. Another boxing club might also move. They still hope for the best.
Sixty kids join midweek sessions. Coaches say the pavilion is too small.
Parents depend on this outlet for kids. Bill Graham said they do not want to be enemies. The council says they have to sell to be stable and are keeping tenants informed.
