Boxing club that works with police to steer youths away from crime celebrates milestone
A community boxing club in the Black Country is celebrating is first anniversary after successfully teaming up with police to help steer local youths away from antisocial and criminal behaviour.
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Team Pumpkin Boxing, in Brierley Hill, provides weekly classes to youngsters in the area and was set up by boxing coach Carl Collins and his 19-year-old son Ben.
It has been a very busy 12 months since they put on their first boxing sessions at their Old Bush Street premises with only three children coming - that has grown with over 110 boxers training with them.
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His first love was always football, so he only took boxing up in his late teens.
He said: "I always put football first. My boxing coach used to say I wasn't dedicated enough to fight. I always thought he just didn't like me, but I now know he was 100 per cent right."