Youngsters can learn to box clever in and out of the ring at Team Shoe-Box

The town gym, which is home to the likes of Kieron Conway and Eithan James. has teamed up with Northamptonshire Sport as well as The Hart pub in Duston, to offer boxing-based exercise as part of the Northamptonshire Holiday Activity & Food Programme 2021.

And the children will be fed healthily as well.

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is Government-backed, and aims to offer ‘funded school holiday clubs including food for children and young people’

Over the next three Mondays (August 9, 16 & 23) children aged between eight and 14 can go along to Team Shoe-Box on Harlestone Road to learn ‘boxing fundamentals and increase fitness levels whilst training in a safe, disciplined and enjoyable environment’.

Each session runs from 10am-2pm, and all children taking part will receive a healthy hot meal thanks to The Hart pub in New Duston.

The sessions are free to those children eligible for free school meals, and £21 for others. These must be pre-booked.

All sessions will be delivered by fully qualified England Boxing coaches, who are safeguarding and first aid trained, as well as DBS checked.

There may even be the odd professional boxer dropping by to offer advice.

Director of Northamptonshire Sport Chris Holmes said: “Keeping active during the various lockdowns has been especially hard for our younger people. As has, accessing healthy food and maintaining a balanced diet.

“That’s why we are particularly pleased to be supporting Public Health Northamptonshire and North and West Northamptonshire Councils with the delivery of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme across Northamptonshire, ensuring some of our most impacted and vulnerable communities are helped to stay active and eat healthily.”

Team Shoe-Box club secretary Alex Le Guével said: “We’re delighted to be offering youngsters the opportunity to potentially try out boxing for the first time.

“As it stands, Team Shoe-Box are probably best known for the success we’ve had with our professional boxers, but the reality is that we want to make just as big of an impact on our local community as we do on the global boxing stage.

“It’s a real pleasure to be working alongside our partners at The Hart - to whom we owe huge thanks for their support - as we seek to provide youngsters with a positive experience of boxing, with the added bonus of a healthy, nutritious meal as well.”

Daniel Lawton of The Hart pub said: “We are delighted to be working with the Team Shoe-Box summer activity programme.

“These activity days provide an opportunity for young people to engage in sports that they may not have had the opportunity to try before and we are very happy to be able to be a small part of that experience.”

Places are still available on the courses at Team Shoe-Box, and can be booked by going to https://www.northamptonshiresport.org/haf-activity-finder

As well as the boxing at Team Shoe-Box there are many other activities available thoughout the school summer holidays.

Full details can be found here https://www.northamptonshiresport.org/haf1