Bristol Empire Fighting Chance boxing gym could be revamped

Plans include a two-story extension, a new multi-purpose sports hall and a block of flats

Plans to transform a boxing gym that helps thousands of young people could help it "make a bigger difference" in the community.

Empire Fighting Chance boxing gym supports more than 3,000 young people a year and recently evolved from a local to a national charity.

The proposed development includes a therapy gym and community space.

Co-founder Martin Bisp said the expansion is "central" to increasing its impact on young people's lives.

The charity said it has grown considerably over the past five years, "reaching thousands more young people", but that this means the gym is "no longer fit for purpose".

The expansion will include a two-story extension, a new multi-purpose sports hall, two more dedicated spaces to deliver boxing programmes, office space, and flexible spaces for delivery, training and meetings. There will also be a block of flats on site to provide additional funding.

Mr Bisp said the build will allow the charity to help even more people

"What we are trying to do is create something in a community that can be accessed by people of Bristol, which I'm hoping will give us the ability to work with more young people in a more intensive way and hopefully make a bigger difference," Mr Bisp said.

"We're going to build a side gym that will look and feel very much like the main gym, but will be a therapy gym, where we can deliver those programs to people who are disabled and neurodivergent."

The charity said the demand for its work is at an all-time high following "a perfect storm that has intensified the disadvantages faced by young people".

"We're in a situation where young people have probably been affected by eight to 10 years of austerity policies," Mr Bisp added.

"We've had a pandemic, and we've got a cost of living crisis, and it's really hard to access services and get support."

The current gym is no longer fit for purpose, the charity said

The charity said that if the plans are approved, it hopes to increase the number of young people it works with from 3,500 to 5,000 within two years of the development, and increase the number of young people that it reaches through its partners from 6,000 to 15,000.

Mr Bisp said the team has already secured £1.1m for the redevelopment plans and is in the process of finding a further £700,000.

If approved, the development is expected to be completed by January 2025.