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Community Projects

Making Boxing Accessible for Everyone

At Harrogate Community Boxing CIC, we believe boxing should be accessible for everyone — and that’s more than a slogan, it’s our mission. Since 2003, we’ve used boxing as a powerful tool to support physical health, mental well-being, and social connection across our local community.

We are a community-based, England Boxing–affiliated gym, delivering inclusive sessions in a fully DBS-checked environment. All our programmes are currently delivered by Ben Smith, a Level 3 England Boxing performance coach and one of the youngest to achieve this nationally. Ben has over 10 years of coaching experience and runs all community sessions single-handedly — and is now actively seeking support to expand and meet growing demand.

As of June 2025, we’ve begun the process of becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC) to expand our outreach and work with even more groups and individuals across Harrogate and the surrounding areas. Please get in you'd be intrested in supporting the gym by sponsoring us!

🥊 Boxing with Purpose

Our community-led boxing sessions provide a safe, structured space where people can grow — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Through boxing, we help people develop:

Confidence
Discipline
Resilience
A sense of purpose and belonging

Our sessions currently support:

People experiencing homelessness or addiction recovery
Young people referred through youth justice or safeguarding teams
Pupils from PRU (Pupil Referral Units) and alternative provisions
Children with mental health challenges
Victims of crime and trauma
Low-income families
Refugees and newly settled individuals
People with disabilities, learning difficulties or isolation
Older adults seeking connection through physical activity

🤝 Who We Support

We are proud to work with local partners and services, including:

Inspire Youth – with targeted sessions launching in September 2025
North Yorkshire Connected Spaces – helping us reach vulnerable groups
PRUs, schools and youth justice – to re-engage young people in positive activity
Victim Support and referral agencies – providing structured, trauma-informed sessions

📊 Our Impact So Far

In our first year running dedicated outreach programmes, we’ve supported over 300 individuals through structured boxing sessions that promote routine, self-control, and personal progress.

Many participants have reported improved focus, better school attendance, and healthier habits outside the gym. We’ve seen first-hand the potential boxing has to redirect lives.

💬 Looking Ahead: More Than Just Boxing

We’re now planning to expand our impact beyond the ring by introducing:

Financial education and life skills workshops for young people
Outdoor wellbeing activities like hiking and guided walks
Community sports days with inclusive games like 5-a-side and volleyball
Dedicated sessions for older people, refugees, and individuals with disabilities

We want to create a true community hub that supports every part of a person’s development — not just their fitness.

🚀 Our Vision as a CIC

With CIC status underway, our goals are to:

Offer accessible, funded sessions for the community
Build new partnerships across Harrogate and beyond
Remove barriers to sport for those facing financial, social, or physical challenges
Provide routes into wellbeing, education, and opportunity through boxing and life skills

Whether you're a charity, school, support service, business, or individual — if you believe in the power of sport to change lives, we’d love to work with you.

We’re actively looking for:

Community partners
Sponsors and supporters
Volunteers and coaches

Let’s build something powerful together.