Hamer Boxing Club provides four weeks of free sessions for kids

Each child received a certificate at Hamer Boxing Club

For the last four weeks Hamer Amateur Boxing Club and Community Fitness Centre has opened its facilities to provide free sessions and meals for 20 youngsters who are eligible for free school meals.

The Punch-Bag to Lunch-Bag sessions, in partnership with Rochdale Council and YourTrust (formerly Link4Life), were delivered for children aged five-16.

Each youngster received a certificate for attendance and participation, whilst Rayyan Mahmood, nine, also received a medal for his attitude and commitment to learning new skills.

The club focused on educating the youngsters on the art of boxing, such as the boxing stance, footwork, punching technique and defence. They also participated in physical training, which involved skipping, shadow boxing, circuit training, teamwork, bag work and discipline, along with regular question and answer sessions.

The youngsters also went for regular walks and participated in other sports such as football, cricket, baseball and skittles, whilst also finding time to draw and colouring pictures of former Rochdale boxer Jock McAvoy.

Hamer head coach Steven Connellan said: "It was a fantastic four weeks of exercise and learning for the youngsters; many have asked their parents if they can come back to the club again.

"I would also like to thank Hamer Amateur boxers Mahbub Miah, Kieren McMenamy, Austin Heneghan, and Ben and Charlie Braddock for constantly turning up to help him with pad-work and other coaching activities. I couldn’t have done it without them."

Mother Kelly Power said: “A big thank you to Hamer Boxing Club for offering all of their time and effort to help them learn new skills and discipline.”

Carol Barnes said: “My son Samir made new friends whilst learning new boxing skills, which as helped him build his confidence.”

Another parent, Usman said “My two sons enjoyed it so much, I have noticed an increase in confidence. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a boxing club.”