The Lancashire School of Boxing celebrates its first anniversary on 15 May as it continues to go from strength to strength.
AdvertisementThe club, which is based inside Creativity Works on Laurel Street, caters for people who want to keep fit and lose weight, as well as serious boxers wishing to compete.
Since its opening the club has grown and become affiliated with England Boxing. However it hasn’t all been plain sailing – after falling victim to vandalism, a group of coaches and boxers had to cycle the Guild Wheel to raise money for a replacement sign.
Sarah Garratt, who coaches at the club, said, “I think sometimes people get the impression that boxing clubs are all about being tough and macho, but everyone is welcome.
“Our owner and lead coach, Robert Francis, has boxed for Preston & Fulwood and England, so members know they will get a good standard of training.
“We get people coming from all over Preston. Some come for fitness, while others want to compete. Everybody joins in together and there’s a real community feel.”
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Sessions take place Monday to Friday. Juniors train from 6pm to 7pm and each session costs £2.50. Adult sessions run from 7.30pm to 9pm and cost £3.50 each, or £25 for the month. Currently a mix of mainly men and some women attend, ranging from teenagers to 50+ year olds.
Sarah said, “A typical night starts with a group warm up, and then each boxer will skip, work on the punching bags and do pad work with one of the coaches, before doing some running inside or outside. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we do sparring, but this is only for the more experienced boxers. We finish up each session with circuits – it’s brilliant for fitness!”
You can find out more on the Lancashire School of Boxing website and Facebook.