Girl gives up pocket money to help gym

A BOXING gym that has been left on the ropes by the coronavirus pandemic is fighting back with the help of the community - including a girl who gave up her pocket money.

Last month, Carl Gunns, the owner of the gym in Birstall, was in despair at the prospect of having to close.

Fewer people have been coming through the doors as coronavirus forced many to stay in their homes.

The situation became so difficult the 74-year-old announced he would have to close the gym’s doors after 20 years unless he could find money to pay the bills.

Hearing this, the public rallied to his side and well over £5,000 has been raised through donations.

Carl said one particular donation had touched his heart.

“I had a remarkable thing happen,” he said. “A 10-year-old girl, Ruby is her name, gave me £10. I went to give her £9 change, because it’s only a quid to come in, and she said ‘no, that’s for the gym’.

“She told me ‘I’ve saved my pocket money to save the gym’.

“I don’t normally get weak at the knees but that really got me. I didn’t want to take it, but she said ‘that’s for the gym’. That was really special, that got me.

“For a 10-year-old girl to do what she did was unbelievable because that pocket money must have meant a lot to her.”

Carl estimates £10,000 would keep the gym running indefinitely – and he is not too far away from reaching that target.

Callum Hirst, a former member, has raised almost £3,000 through the GoFundMe website.

Other customers have been taking on sponsored walks and setting up fund-raisers.

“I’m so grateful,” Carl said. “Thanks to the generosity of the people of Leicestershire, I think we might do it. They’ve been marvellous.

“Lorry drivers, people I don’t even know have stopped to say good luck. Some of the remarks have been unbelievable.

“I’m closed now for four weeks now because of lockdown, which is a bit of a shame because the gym was starting to pick up, but lives are more important.”

Carl is hoping to raise the rest of the money by the end of the month. If £10,000 can be gathered in that time, he said he is confident the gym will be able to stay open for years to come.