Vandals deal low blow to boxing club plans

Dale Gaucas's dream is to reopen a boxing club in Darnill since the old one burned down a decade ago

An entrepreneur fighting to set up a boxing club "to give something back" to the estate he grew up on said it was "heart-breaking" that youngsters are vandalising the building.

Dale Gaucas has been leading a 10-year battle to open a boxing club and community hub on the Darnhill estate in Rochdale "to put the heart back" into the area after the last one burnt down.

He said while the club waited to secure the remaining funding it needed to open vandals targeted it with graffiti, set fires and tried to break in.

"It is a deprived area and they're hurting themselves," he said.

Mr Gaucas raised £300,000 to build the centre.

But he needs to find another £220,000 to kit it out so it can open.

Rochdale Council has recently approved £20,000 funding for new shutters on the building, but Mr Gaucas and his team are patrolling at night to deter further attacks in the meantime.

Dale Gaucas said the coaches in the old Darnhill and Heywood Boxing Club steered him "on the right path"

"It is a must that this new club opens," Mr Gaucas who runs UK Solar Experts, a renewable energy company based in Middleton, said.

The Darnhill and Heywood Amateur Boxing Club burned down in 2015.

He said: "The heart has been ripped out of the estate after losing the boxing club, two local schools and pubs closing. It's become disconnected.

"We want to put the heart back into Darnhill."

Mr Gaucas said the community centre's facilities would include a classroom for education and training courses, and rooms with special acoustics to support youngsters with special educational needs.

"It will be the lifeblood of the community," he said.

'Saved me'

Mr Gaucas said the original club "saved him" when he started training there at the age of 12.

"I couldn't read or write and went there for something to do."

The 44-year-old said the coaches "put their arm round me and put me on the right path away from crime".

"I don't know what would have happened to me if if wasn't for them," he added.

Former professional boxer Danny Randall will be the lead boxing coach when the club opens.

"It is a deprived area and there is nothing here for kids to do.

"The estate is desperate for a boxing club and it is so sad the building is being vandalised."

He said a recent summer boxing camp they did in the grounds of the building proved very successful, with 60 youngsters taking part.

The 39-year-old, who started out at Louvolite Gym in Hyde, where Ricky Hatton trained, and goes into schools and mentor youngsters who need alternative educational provision and special educational needs, said the impact of boxing on youngsters cannot be underestimated.

As well as the obvious fitness and mental health benefits, boxing can help develop a host of skills such as discipline and boost confidence, he said.

Mr Gaucas and boxing coach Danny Randall said the youngsters need the club as there is nothing for them to do on the estate

Alex Le Guevel, head of community development at the promoter Matchroom, said: "In places like the Darnhill Estate in Heywood, where opportunities for young people are limited, boxing clubs are far more than just facilities to train – they're community anchors.

"They build confidence, discipline and purpose in young people – and in doing so, strengthen the fabric of the community itself."

Matchroom support more than 50 clubs across the UK through its partnership with Empire Fighting Chance, funding mentoring and development support.

"Our aim is to make clubs more sustainable, better equipped and even more community-focused, so that they can continue to change lives where it's needed most," he said.

The committee are all desperate to "put the heart back in Darnhill" with the new boxing club and community hub

Councillor Angela Brown, chair of Heywood Township Committee, added boxing clubs "play an important role in bringing people of all ages together, helping to boost wellbeing and reduce social isolation".

She said the council was continuing to work closely with Darnhill and Heywood Boxing Club.

She added: "This vital investment will help to secure the building and support the club's long-term vision for a thriving community venture."