Darnhill and Heywood ABC celebrates youth boxing success while fighting to raise £300k for new hub

Wednesday, 3 September 2025 08:58

By David Murphy

Darnhill & Heywood Amateur Boxing Club has wrapped up its summer camp with a celebratory awards night, but now faces a race to raise £300,000 to complete its long-awaited new community facility.

More than 50 children from Heywood took part in the club’s summer boxing camp, funded by the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit. The scheme gave youngsters a safe place to learn boxing, boost their fitness, and gain life skills such as healthy eating.

The camp ended with an awards ceremony where the Mayor of Rochdale handed out medals and certificates to every participant, watched on by proud families, coaches and community leaders.

Despite the success, the club is now warning its future is at risk unless it can secure £300,000 to complete its new purpose-built hub.

The planned facility would house a full boxing gym, classrooms for mentoring, community meeting rooms, and spaces dedicated to mental health and wellbeing support, alongside accessible changing areas.

A club spokesperson said: “We’ve come so far, but we’re not there yet. This building isn’t just bricks and mortar, it’s a lifeline for young people in Heywood. We need £300,000 to finish the job and open the doors to a fully equipped, purpose-built space where we can run year-round programmes.”

Founded in 1965, Darnhill & Heywood ABC has been a cornerstone of the town. But more than a decade ago, its original premises were gutted by fire. Since then, Dale Gaucas and the CIC board have been fighting to rebuild the club’s place in the heart of the community.

The appeal is now being directed towards local businesses, councillors and funding bodies to help secure the club’s future.