Manchester's First Fully Inclusive Boxing Hub

Aim

Support us to build Greater Manchester's First Fully Inclusive & Trauma Informed Boxing Hub

“When one person decides to step up and do something positive, it’s impossible to know just how far that impact will reach.”

For the past five years, Boxing For Better has helped hundreds of people across Wigan rebuild their confidence, health and direction through boxing.

Now we have the opportunity to create the region’s first fully inclusive, trauma-informed boxing hub — a place where anyone, regardless of their circumstances, can walk through the door and belong.

With your support, we can turn an empty space in Leigh into a powerful centre for community, recovery and opportunity.

We want to turn this...

Into This!!

What £30,000 Will Make Possible

Raising £30,000 will allow us to turn an empty space in Leigh into the first fully inclusive, trauma-informed boxing hub in the region.

This funding will help us create a place where:

• Young people can train after school instead of being drawn into crime or anti-social behaviour
• Adults struggling with their mental health can find structure, community and support
• People leaving prison can rebuild confidence and positive routines
• Children and adults with disabilities can take part in fully accessible boxing sessions
• Families and local residents can walk into a safe space where they feel welcome

Instead of temporary sessions in borrowed venues, we will finally have a permanent home where these programmes can grow and reach even more people.

With this space in place we expect to support hundreds of people every year, using boxing as a tool to improve health, confidence, wellbeing and life chances.

This isn’t just about building a gym.

It’s about creating a place where people who are struggling can walk through the door and start moving forward again.

Five years ago Boxing For Better was formed. What was just supposed to be a free weekly boxing session for young people in Leigh has grown into something far beyond what we ever imagined. We have been operating out of church halls, schools and community centres. We now need a place that we can build into something special, a beacon of hope for everyone in our community.

This isn’t about creating champions in the ring. It’s about creating champions in our community and shaping a better future for the people we work with every day.

Our new hub will be based in Leigh, Greater Manchester. It will be a place where young people feel safe, where parents can find support, where people with SEND and disabilities feel they belong, and where those facing difficult moments in life can rebuild.

Boxing is the tool. Connection is the purpose.

The Back Story
In 2021, Dave Morris, a 29-year-old father of three and former amateur boxer, decided to take action.

His town had seen a rise in youth violence. The worst of it resulted in the tragic murder of a man carried out by three boys aged just 16, 17 and 18.

Dave decided something had to change.

He set up Higher Folds Community Boxing — a single FREE weekly boxing session for young people on a local estate where unemployment, poverty and rising antisocial behaviour were real challenges.

Five years later, that session is still running every week and still completely free.

What began as one session has grown into a movement.

Today Boxing For Better delivers:

-Four other free community boxing sessions
-Two disability boxing sessions
-Three probation boxing programmes across Wigan and Manchester
-A men’s mental health Boxing and Brew session
-A homeless support project with The Brick
-Corner Crew – a boxing intervention for young offenders
-Careers Contenders programme helping people move into employment
-Holiday Activities and Food camps
-Home education support
-School-based sessions and interventions.

Through these programmes hundreds of people engage with Boxing For Better every single week.

Boxing has always been about far more than fighting. It builds discipline, confidence, resilience and the ability to cope with life’s challenges. For many people, stepping into a boxing environment becomes the first step towards greater self-belief, stronger routines and a more positive direction in life.

This hub will include:

• A fully accessible boxing gym
• Inclusive equipment for SEND and disability sessions
• Classroom space for mentoring, workshops and employability support
• Safe spaces for one-to-one conversations and guidance

It will be a place where:

A disengaged young person finds direction,
An adult in a wheelchair finds confidence,
Someone searching for work finds support,
And someone going through a crisis finds a path forward.

Why we do it?

Dave and his team use the unique and widely recognised benefits of boxing to change lives. They realise that most people who go to boxing gyms won't ever want to become a competitive fighter, but still recognise the benefits of the sport. Through non contact boxing, accredited awards, regular targeted groups and the correct atmosphere they have change hundreds of lives.

We work hard to remove barriers, delivering programmes where they are needed most, reducing costs wherever possible, and meeting people exactly where they are in life.

People need positive environments, meaningful activity and role models.

Boxing provides all three.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁

Over time we have realised that the real impact is not just what happens during a session, but how people feel when they walk through the door. For many, Boxing For Better has become a place where they are known by name, where barriers are lowered and where they can show up exactly as they are without judgement. It is not unusual to see someone arrive quietly on their first visit and, weeks later, be encouraging others or helping to set up the space themselves.

What happens here goes far beyond boxing. We see young people who once struggled to engage finding routine and purpose, adults rebuilding confidence after difficult chapters in life, and families finally accessing activities that feel welcoming and inclusive. These are not quick fixes. They are small, consistent steps that help people reconnect with themselves and their community.

A permanent Leigh hub will allow us to do this with greater stability and care. It means more free sessions for young people, more inclusive opportunities for people living with disabilities, and a safe, familiar environment where wellbeing, mentoring and employability support can grow alongside physical activity. Most importantly, it creates a space that people can rely on — somewhere local, consistent and built around the needs of the community.

Because when people feel they belong, they begin to believe in themselves again. And when enough individuals start to feel that shift, the whole community moves forward together.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁

There are four simple ways you can help make this project happen:

Make a pledge
Your support helps create a permanent space for people who need it most.

Spread the word
Share our campaign with friends, family and colleagues. Every share helps us reach someone new.

Offer rewards
Local businesses can donate prizes or experiences we can offer to supporters. We will proudly recognise everyone who backs us.

Fundraise for us
Schools, groups or individuals can run their own sponsored activities. If you have an idea, get in touch and we will help you set it up.

We’ve seen first-hand how boxing can help people rebuild confidence, find community and move forward in life.

This hub will allow us to reach more people than ever before — but we can’t build it alone.

If you believe in the power of community and the difference a place like this can make, please donate and share our campaign.

Together, we can create something that will change lives for years to come.

Every donation matters. Whether it’s £5 or £500, every pledge moves us one step closer to opening the doors.

£10 helps buy gloves for a young person starting their journey.
£25 helps equip a training session.
£100 helps us build a place where people can rebuild their lives.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made