3 minute read
THE POWER OF POSITIVE ACTION
Our President Paul Whitnell was honoured in June 2021 when he was asked to join the Powerday Foundation as an Ambassador for their incredible work. He was only too pleased to accept, and in mid-June went to visit their Boxing Club in Cricklewood to meet with the staff, volunteers and service users.
We last featured Powerday’s investment in boxing initiatives in issue 2 of this publication, when we wrote about the Powerday Bursary Scheme, their relationship with the Repton Boxing Club, and involvement in the ‘Drop the Knife, Pick Up the Gloves’ project rolled out across London in 2018 in conjunction with the opening of the Powerday Hooks Amateur Boxing Club in Ealing.
The waste management company have been busy since then, developing a plan to expand the existing Cricklewood Boxing Club and grow the number of users by 100%, focusing on increasing participation of less advantaged people from the local community. Following demand of women and girls to access boxing facilities, they are also accommodating this newer demographic by building ladies changing rooms and facilities.
As you will know from Paul’s welcome this issue (go ahead and read it, we’ll wait!), BITA is focusing strongly on wellbeing for the foreseeable future, and the Powerday Boxing Initiative is an excellent example of how businesses and individuals can help achieve far-ranging social impact.
Boxing is not only a wonderful way to get in shape and stay healthy, it offers myriad benefits for mental health.
Getting a young person engaged in organised sport saves society around £4,800 each year. This is due to savings against truancy, anti-social behaviour, and substance and alcohol abuse. Factoring the 10,000+ participants across London, Powerday are directly helping to save over £4.8 million of public funds annually!
Paul saw this first-hand during his recent visit to the Club. “It is incredible the impact it has on the lives of these young people.” says Paul. “It isn’t really about getting fit, although of course that is often the motivating factor for many of the participants, at least in the beginning. The real benefit is to them as individuals as it encourages them back into education, provides a sense of self belief and the potential of a new future that might not normally be open to them.
Ultimately, this project is about respect. “Every time a young person got into the ring, it was very clear that they had the utmost respect for their coach and opponent, and it was incredible to see so many selfpossessed and driven young people.”
It is not only young people that benefit from the club, as their users range from 8 to 60 years old, and everyone is welcome. As a company that is proud of its working-class roots, Powerday have a long history of investment in more deprived areas of London where people may have otherwise struggled to access sporting opportunities and facilities.
The club has been serving its community for 10 years, and by partnering with Powerday, we expect that they will only continue to grow and help more people. The Powerday Hooks Amateur Boxing Club has achieved incredible successes, winning 37 National Boxing Titles since being founded in 2009, we wish the Boxing Club in Cricklewood the same successes.
“We are delighted to strengthen our already strong ties with BITA by working closely with Paul as an ambassador to the Powerday Foundation.” Says Edward Crossan, CEO of Powerday; “Paul’s involvement will help raise the profile we have already, bringing further support through promoting all our fantastic initiatives throughout BITA and ultimately helping more young Londoners, mentally and physically.”
According to studies, boxing regularly can provide many benefits, including:
• Stress relief and increase production on endorphins
• Encourages socialisation and consistency (as you don’t want to let down sparring partners)
• Helping with mindfulness and allows someone to be solely in the moment
• Teaches strategy and your own resilience
• Helps build up self-confidence
• Last but not least, it can also help participants manage and overcome anger issues
