Croydon boxing group tackling youth crime receives ‘lifeline’ £80k grant
A Croydon-based charity which tackles youth crime through boxing and mentorship has received an £80,000 grant to continue its vital work.
Be Inspired, which runs from Croydon Boxing Club in Norbury Park Pavilion, offers boxing, yoga and jiu-jitsu classes, alongside mentoring, employment and educational support, and mental health therapy including support for trauma and substance abuse.
Formerly known as Gloves Not Gunz and Urban Yogis UK, the group runs programmes to help young people develop life skills, social awareness and self-discipline.
The grant, from independent charity Wates Family Enterprise Trust (WFET), will be used to help develop Be Inspired’s ‘Generation Change’ programme for the next two years.
Delivering one-to-one and group sessions on confidence building, work experience and job interview skills, the Generation Change programme aims to support young people into employment.
Scott Arnott, director and team leader at Be Inspired, said: “Wates has been incredibly supportive, and in a time when funding is scarce, the grant from WFET is a lifeline for our employability work.”
The official handover of the grant follows the recent passing of Adam Ballard, who co-founded Be Inspired with Ben Eckett in 2017.
Since its founding, the organisation has provided more than 2,500 hours of mentoring, supported more than 2,300 young people and run more than 100 programmes, with 90 per cent of participants coming from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
An evening session at Be Inspired includes up to 40 young people, with about 700 to 800 participants involved every year.
One notable success story of the programme is Precieux Noka, 26, from Croydon.
Mr Noka became caught up in “county lines” drug dealing at the age of 16 after he was kicked out of sixth form and targeted by an older gang member.
Known as “county lines”, gangs use children as young as 12 to traffic drugs to rural towns and cities, and Mr Noka found himself being sent to deliver cocaine and heroin to parts of Bournemouth, Ashford and Kent.
After being threatened by a rival gang, the teenager decided to turn his life around and joined Gloves not Gunz, where he became a national champion under Mr Ballard’s mentorship.
Co-founder Mr Eckett said: “Adam was deeply passionate about helping young people.
“He believed in equipping them with the confidence and personal skills they needed for lasting success.
“Looking ahead, our ambition is to attract more support and expand the programme, reaching more boroughs and giving even more young people the opportunity to build the future they deserve.”
Wates’ involvement with Be Inspired extends beyond funding. Marc Rice, a building services manager with Wates, was asked to deliver a talk to the club in 2023 and has been attending coaching sessions ever since.
He is currently runs the groups ‘Box Champions’ 20-week programme, mentoring young people through the sport.
Mr Rice said: “Wates introduced me to the club, now I’m able to give back. Given my own challenging childhood I can relate to many of our members’ situations.
“Seeing them grow and develop is the reason I’m here.”
Pictured top: Marc Rice in his coaching role, sparring with Be Inspired member Saqib Awan (Picture: Good Karma Media/Pawel Gawronski)