I want to open gym to get kids off streets
AWEST Lancashire boxing coach is hoping to open a new gym in Burscough to solve the town’s perceived anti-social behaviour problem.
Robert Newbiggin, who also works primarily as an artist, is searching for a location and potential committee members, after being overwhelmed with positive feedback since first suggesting the idea.
Robert’s 13-year-old daughter goes to school in Burscough and he said he came up with the idea after seeing repeated complaints on Facebook about young people causing trouble in the village.
While many people were quick to criticise young people, Robert said that he felt few were offering solutions on how to solve the problem.
He said: “I was just looking through some comments on Facebook and all I could see was ‘teenagers doing this or doing that’. What I’d never see was someone saying what could be done to give them something else to do.”
Robert, 52, is now looking for somewhere to open the club, which he says could be a big asset to the town.
The plan is for the gym to be run as not-for-profit, being funded through charity grants and fundraising, rather than through membership and class fees, meaning noone should be prevented from being able to use the facilities.
He is also searching for somewhere to operate the gym, on an initially rentfree basis, while the club becomes
Robert, who has trained with stars such as Ricky Hatton, Tyson Fury and Floyd Mayweather, said he wouldn’t be looking to run the club single-handedly and was inviting people to help for a committee, including roles as chairman, secretary and treasurer.
Although the main idea behind the club was to be aimed at young people, it will look to offer classes and sessions for amateurs more established. of all ages. Included in this would be “family boxfit” sessions, something Robert has already put on at Beat Box, in Southport, where parents and kids can work out together.
He is also aiming for the club’s attendance to be split 50/50 male and female, with boxers such as Katie Taylor and Nicola Adams helping to prove that it is just as much a female sport as a male one.
Initial feedback to the idea has been almost entirely positive, with many believing that a new idea like this can give teenagers a more productive way to spend their time.
Contrary to fears people once may have held that teaching people to fight would lead to more violence, Robert said the opposite was true.
Instead, he argued, they are taught patience, disciple and to be honourable in defeat.
He said: “I guarantee that anyone who comes in will come out as a better citizen.
“In all my years, I’ve never seen one kid who goes to a boxing club regularly cause any trouble on the streets.
“It’s not an answer to it all but it’s going to get a lot of people off the streets and into something more worthwhile.”
If you want to get involved in the club or have an idea on how to help, contact Robert on Facebook.