New inclusive female boxing class starts in Lancashire

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The Youth Employment support hub (YES hub), Pendle Lancashire, are offering new inclusive boxing sessions for females aged 16 to 24.

The YES hub is a project that is part of Active Lancashire, a network organisation in the north-west based county, which offers free support and advice for young people looking for employment.

The organisation attended an Empire partner training event in Bristol in June 2023, and have been using non-contact boxing to engage young people ever since. And we are excited to see them launch their brand new venture of inclusive female only sessions.

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David Marshall, the lead at Pendle YES Hub, said : “We have established a dynamic and impactful partnership with Empire Fighting Chance, leveraging boxing as a powerful tool to engage and empower young people.

This collaboration has provided both group sessions and 1-to-1 mentoring, focusing on improving mental health, building confidence, and developing life skills."

For David the impact of these sessions with young people has been significant, and with tailored boxing drills and engagement games, participants have learned to set achievable goals, develop resilience, and manage emotions effectively.

He continued, “ The sessions have also fostered a sense of discipline, teamwork, and personal achievement, which have translated into positive changes in their daily lives."

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Harry, our North-West head coach, is very excited about the partnership and said : “They have done an excellent job as a team to create a boxing gym and safe space for young people to attend the Box Champions programme. The coaches Shuey and Mehvish lead delivery together, and have had a huge impact on the lives of the young people in the area of Nelson.

And they have been collecting evidence of this support and sharing it to the rest of the Active Lancashire team.”

So safe has the space and culture been that they recently created a new targeted session, one which fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment.

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Harry explained: “The Box Champions offer is increasingly in demand, and Pendle YES Hub recognised that to fully engage some cultural groups they would need to approach things in a different way.

So Mehvish has now created a female only session that many young Muslims attend, with measures in place to be fully inclusive  and cutting out some barriers of participation.  We are confident that this will prove to be a great success.”

The session takes place every Friday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm at the Pendle YES Hub.

We look forward to supporting this and the rest of the Active Lancashire group, and any new and innovative programmes they launch.

And for more information on the Powered by Empire UK network click  here.