Youth-led boxing sessions in Bristol
Based in South Bristol, Grassroot Communities is an organisation that supports community-led projects in the local area.
The organisation aims to engage, challenge and inspire young people, while also improving quality of life and creating real social change.
After receiving a grant from our 2020 Community Fund, the group has been helping young people in Hartcliffe run their own boxing club.
Ben Carpenter, Founder of Grassroot Communities, tells us more.
The beginning of Hartcliffe Boxing Club
At past community meetings, residents of Hartcliffe had suggested a community boxing club would help teach important leadership skills to young people in the area.
Local schools, youth clubs and community organisations also agreed that a boxing club would help children and teenagers develop and keep fit.
With the help of Wessex Water’s funding, we were able to help set up the youth-led boxing club. The grant was used to help purchase new boxing equipment and cover the cost of running weekly sessions.
Virtual boxing sessions
When the coronavirus pandemic began, we had to adapt how we delivered the boxing session to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
During the first lockdown, our young leaders started delivering online boxfit sessions to people of all ages and capabilities to help them stay active.
Once restrictions were eased during summer, in-person boxing session resumed. We helped the club hold a range of sessions for different groups, including families, over 50s, young people and children.
Future plans
The boxing club has been hugely successful with around 200 people taking part in our sessions, which were predominantly run by local young people.
Our young leaders and volunteers require the experience of delivering regular sessions as well as relevant training to ensure the club effectively supports the community.
We aim to ensure our young leaders and volunteers are equipped to continue this project and have recently secured further funding for the club until March 2022.
Stay up to date with what we are getting up to in the area on our Facebook page.