Female-run boxing club holds fundraising weekend

Northern Powerhouse Boxing Club is thought to be the first female-run boxing club.

The UK’s first female-run boxing club is holding a weekend of fundraising events to refurbish its new premises.

Northern Powerhouse Boxing Academy needs to raise £300,000 for the work on the ground floor of Hebden Bridge Trades Club, which has sat empty since flooding in 2015.

Fundraising events include a marathon relay between the old club building in Todmorden and the new one in Hebden Bridge, a 6.2 mile (10km) swim, bake sale pub quiz and 5,000 burpee challenge.

General manager Josie McNamara said the refurbishment would flood-proof the building and allow it to be used for wider community events.

“We really want it to be a place that when we're not using it other members of the community can and people can hire it from us or they can run an after-school club there," she said.

“We're putting a lot of work into including that at the design stage to make sure it's truly accessible and an inclusive space that anyone in our local community can use.”

Much of the funding for the project has come through grants but the club needs to find a further £30,000 from the community.

“It's not a low-cost project,” said Ms McNamara.

“We want to make sure that if it ever does flood again, which is quite possible in the middle of Hebden Bridge, that we can just kind of sweep it down, mop it out and reopen."

She said that flood resilience measures were not cheap and as they are beneath a music venue they needed to ensure there was good sound proofing measures in place.

As part of fundraising, those who donate can receive “rewards” such as merchandise and club membership, haircuts, craft workshops and spa sessions.

Ms McNamara said it was aimed at being a thank you to donors.

“It's just really a great incentive and a reason why people can support the project and get something back for supporting it," she said.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.