Mansfield Boxing Club’s summer camp proves a big success in Kirkby

The scheme has given the people and parents of Ashfield a lifeline in the summer holidays, especially those facing hardship or difficulties of any kind.

It involved free boxing sessions, pool, table tennis, air hockey, gaming and arts and craft activities, including a graffiti artist whom, with the help of youngsters, painted murals of Kirkby inside the Acre Young Persons Centre. The project was also aimed at eliminating holiday hunger with children given free meals.

The camp helped over 300 Ashfield children and families and was led by Stewart Nubley, Mansfield Boxing Academy's community officer, and Scott Johnson from Acre Young Person's Centre.

Stewart said: “The project has been a huge success.

“It has provided a necessary service and lifeline to the families of Ashfield.

“We have even had people as far as Huddersfield use the Summer Camp as they were in dire straits throughout the summer holidays.

“The children enjoyed every moment and it was a pleasure seeing all the smiling faces.

“Families in Ashfield are feeling the effects of the cost-of-viving crisis and we are glad and proud that we have done something to help our local community, The Feedback from the children's families has been overwhelming and heart-warming.”

Mansfield Boxing Academy secretary Richard Fox added: “As a boxing club run for the community, we are pretty much frontline when it comes to dealing with families and reading into their economic circumstances.

“From the talks we have had with parents who attend our club, we understood there was need for this project, now more so than ever.

“We managed to speak with our counterparts at the local youth centre who agreed as they were having the same feedback.

Therefore we formed a partnership to tackle this issue. This is what community is all about, local people helping local people.”