Wellingborough Amateur Boxing Club needs your help to find new premises in the town

A Wellingborough boxing club is facing an uncertain future because its premises are to be sold by its landlord.

Wellingborough Amateur Boxing Club (WABC) moved to its Talbot Road home in 2021 and is a breeding ground for proficient fighters.

But it is also a safe place and shelter for local people who are looking for a place to channel their energy into something positive – and now it needs to find a new home.

Kirk Thompson, director and chairman of the club, said: “WABC is a safe place where many people from all walks of life come to let off steam and the prospect that this could be no more is nothing but devastating.

“Myself and all involved are passionate about the community, we all donate our time and want to take the club to the next level, all the money we take from memberships is invested back into the club and its members.

"We have so many ideas to benefit the community and the prospect that this may now may never happen is just not acceptable.

"We train young elite athletes that strive to climb through the ropes into that very lonely place the boxing ring and onto that path of self respect and hopefully victory.”

Ray Revell, coach at Wellingborough Amateur Boxing Club, has bounced the club around from Kingsway Youth Centre to Weavers School for 54 years, all while working part-time as a dustman.

He said: "I just wanted to get kids off the street, and give them something to do, and give them confidence.

“It’s nice to have champions, but I don’t worry about champions. Any boy or girl who goes through the ropes to box for the club is a champion as far as I’m concerned.”

“Since we’ve been here it’s now a business rather than just a club I’ve run, I’ve got some good business people behind me.

“I’ve got a fantastic coaching regime behind me, which is just great.

"We have anybody here, we don’t just take people because they’re good boxers.

“We’re not just a boxing club, we’re a community club.”

WABC is inclusive for boys, girls, men, women and people of all backgrounds and abilities, with some coming from disadvantaged backgrounds or with disabilities.

When the club moved into the premises it was looking for a long-term, 20-year agreement, which would have given it more chance of receiving Government grants that could be used to keep it afloat. Sadly, this never came to fruition.

Ray admits that, while moving from its current location would be disappointing, WABC won’t be ‘completely dead’, as it can look for other accommodation, albeit not on a permanent basis where it can firmly set its roots.

He added: "What’s annoyed me is that after 50-odd years I thought I’d found a home for good.

"We’ve spent a hell of a lot of money, we wouldn’t have done that if we’d known we were only here for a few months.”

Being in Wellingborough for the long-term is a key priority for Ray, who quickly shot down the notion of moving to a space in a different local town.

He said: “As far as I’m concerned, for the 50-odd years I’ve done it as Wellingborough Amateur Boxing Club, I wouldn’t want to change it.

“It’s always been for the kids of Wellingborough, they looked after me when I moved up here from London.

"I’ve loved living here, my kids grew up here.

"If anyone knows of a warehouse or anywhere, that’s the main thing we’re looking for at the minute.”

Sharon, who has been alongside Ray since the age of eight and whom the latter referred to as ‘like an adopted daughter’, referred to the club as a ‘family’.

She said: “We thought this was our forever home.”

WABC consists of groups of a few disciplines and ages, with participants aged eight to 14 and people between 14 and 40 enjoying a more recreational session while ‘carded’ boxers (those who have gone through the necessary requirements to train and compete) train later in the evening.

When we visited the club we saw that the positive impact that it has on its participants is apparent as soon as the doors open. Kids arrive early, picking up their routine like it’s second nature and finding their footing in the ring like a duck to water.

Bags hang from the ceiling and photos proudly litter the walls, showing that Wellingborough Amateur Boxing Club has a rich heritage that long exceeds its tenancy at the Talbot Road premises. There’s a deep sense of history in the club, and the different disciplines that use its facilities to fine-tune their technique, lose weight or simply make friends are contributing to something that is far bigger than themselves.

Moving from its current facility is something that affects everyone at the club, from coaches, parents, and boxers.

To help ease the possible transition, a crowd-funder was set up by coach Charlie Gerrard, which hopes to give the club a boost during a particularly tough time.

A passage from it says: “Boxing has the power to transform lives.

“It has an almost unmatched capability to engage some of the most disaffected young people and help to combat a massive range of social problems, covering crime, educational underachievement, health and fitness and community cohesion.

"The sport attracts people from all walks of life and it doesn't discriminate.

"As such, we believe that boxing --and our project specifically-- is uniquely positioned within the sporting landscape.”

The crowd-funder can be found here.