Cornwall's oldest boxing club aims to secure future

Paul Murray said the club had no choice but to build a new home

Building a new home for Cornwall's oldest boxing club would help encourage more young people to take up the sport, coaches have said.

Camborne and Redruth Amateur Boxing Club has drawn up plans to knock down its existing home of 60 years and replace it with a purpose-built facility.

The club said it had submitted the proposals to Cornwall Council and a decision was due in the autumn. It also said it hoped to then secure about £750,000 of funding, with the intention of completing the work by the start of 2028.

Coach Paul Murray said: "We need to make sure we keep going - not just for the youth of Camborne but for the history of boxing in Cornwall."

The club currently operates out of a 1940s pre-fabricated building on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Camborne.

Mr Murray said the current building was no longer fit for purpose and they had no choice but to build a new one.

"Our changing rooms and facilities are not up to the modern standards our governing body expect - so it's now time for us to replace the building with a modern, vibrant building that will be sustainable," he explained.

Kyros, 15, says boxing at the club helps with his mental health

The new gym would be two storeys high and include a ring with spectator seating to allow the club to host competitions. It would also have community space and a cafe to bring in additional revenue.

The club hosts training sessions for under-10s, juniors and adults most weekday evenings.

Josh, 14, from Camborne, said he was excited by the plans for the new gym.

"I think loads of people would come here if it looked like that. I want to be a boxer. Having a better facility will help people get better," he said.

Kyros, 15, also lives in Camborne and admitted that without the club he would probably just stay at home and be on his phone.

"I think it's a really good place and it's better than going out and making trouble," he said.

"It helps me mentally and if I have any anger during school it helps me get it out."

An artist's impression of what the new boxing club in Camborne would look like

Tegan, who is 16 and from Redruth, hoped more modern facilities would attract more girls to the club.

"The new building would give us female changing rooms, female toilets. I think it would be great to have more facilities to train and progress," she explained.

Mr Murray said they have had conversations with the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport and hoped to access government grants for the new building.

He said: "Having a more modern club will bring in more children, more young adults and give them more things to do - to keep them off the street, to get them out of trouble, to stop being on their iPads and computer games.

"It'd give the youth of Camborne and the surrounding area somewhere that they're proud of."