Community praise for boxing gym supporting refugee centre
A Halifax boxing gym has attracted praise from the community for its work helping refugees in partnership with St Augustine’s Centre.
Halifax Star Boxing Club has history dating as far back as the 1940s, with one of the notable names to come from the gym being heavyweight boxing champion Richard Dunn, who fought Mohammed Ali in 1976.
Currently the gym is run by professional heavyweight boxer Josh Sandland and exboxer Andy Lowrie.
In 2022 the duo launched Star Boxing as a charity, which would allow them to work more closely with nonprofits
in the area.
The gym partnered with St Augustine’s Centre to provide
an outlet for refugees and asylum seekers.
St Augustine’s Centre,
based on Hanson Lane in Halifax, is a community centre offering specialist advice and support to people seeking asylum and recently arrived refugees.
Working together, they now run a weekly class, with more than 20 attendees.
The programme has drawn praise from both figures in the community and the world of boxing.
Holly Lynch MP, speaking while visiting the gym, commented: “I had the pleasure of meeting with Josh Sandland and the team at Star Boxing club recently and saw firsthand the really important work they are doing.
"It was great to see those in the asylum process able to attend sessions and keep fit while also working on their English language skills.
"I wish all areas were able to have partnerships like this one."
Alicia Winbolt from England Boxing, visiting at the same time, said: “The work that Halifax Star Boxing Club are doing is incredible, they are really showcasing the power that boxing can bring communities together and to change people’s lives for the better.”
Josh Sandland, owner of Star Boxing, added: “Working with St Augustine’s has been so rewarding, both for us and for those people attending the sessions.
"It’s amazing to see these guys come to us from such difficult circumstances and progress so rapidly in so many ways, from their confidence to their language.
"Boxing gives them an outlet, but it also gives them a community that they can call home.”