Over 100 people attended Park Barn Community Centre on Saturday 5 July as Guildford City Boxing Club moved into their long-awaited new home. Guildford City Boxing Club is a busy, friendly club that is open to all, working with people from many different communities, offering training to novices through to professionals and anyone who wishes to improve their personal fitness.
A little over a year ago in May 2013, Guildford City Boxing Club had been priced out of a potential move to Guildford Corporation Club building in Slyfield Green when the Borough Council quoted them £35,000 to rent the building and car park. Senior boxing coach John Edwards had hoped the building could become the new home of the boxing club, offering increased training space after memberships rose tenfold in the space of five years.
Back then, Mr Edwards had said, “All the kids are gutted. We’ve got Olympic boxers and I just don’t know where to train with the facilities we’ve got. Obviously I knew it would be a bit of money but not that much.”
With that in mind, the move to the Park Barn Community Centre on Cabell Road was greeted with all the more joy, from young members to ex-professionals, to Council members who were in attendance.
Deputy Mayor, Cllr Nikki Nelson-Smith , who opened the site, along with Tony Oakey (retired British, Commonwealth and World Light Heavyweight Champion) said, “I’m really pleased that this fantastic, friendly club has a new home from which to do its excellent work within the community. The former venue in Bellfields, which achieved great results, could no longer provide the club with the opportunity to grow and this new site will allow that. This site has a proud history as a former Judo and Tae Kwon-do venue and it’s great to see it once again being used again for the community.
“I am particularly pleased that girls will now have a real opportunity to participate at this new venue and I’m certain the girls of Guildford will be at least as successful as the boys. I wish all participants and coaches success with all their personal goals, whatever level they may be.”
Currently, two of the club’s most successful boxers, Felix Cash and Jake Ball, who are in the GB Podium Potential squad for the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 are also Young Ambassadors for the Guildford Borough Council. The club that gives so much back to the community has finally been given a new place to call home and certainly we wish them all the best in the future!
James Martin