The idea for Speedy Fitness came through existing clients then grew into a vision when members of the community began to reach out to me for services.
I was training a client who was battling alcohol misuse challenges and only when I was invited to an event held by the AA to recognise the efforts of their service users by my client, did I become aware of the positive impact fitness, boxing and guidance from myself could have on a person’s life. I was humbled by my client’s acceptance speech where he listed me as a positive and important influence on his road to sobriety.
I enjoyed the idea that I had played some part in my client bettering his life in such a huge way and was keen to find out how I could help more people do the same. I began to train a group of males who all worked at the same company as part of a mental health programme funded by their place of work. Again, I saw positive changes in the clients mental and physical wellbeing and was humbled by their gratitude for finding a way to combat their darker days through fitness with the added challenge of learning boxing skills.
It was around this time that a staff member from a local school reached out to me to ask if I could help with some students that were displaying challenging behaviour. Unfortunately, as I was in a rented space, the finances to support the group was beyond what the school was willing to pay. I wondered how many other vulnerable groups, or organisations was experiencing the same issues.
I knew my experience in both fitness and boxing was helping people better themselves. I had received testimonies from numerous clients with various personal challenges such as addictions, anxiety and many high risk/previous offenders wanting to stay on the straight and narrow, expressing the positive impact fitness through boxing had on their lives. However, I wanted to help the people who had barriers to train, such as finances and the awareness to do so by making myself accessible to anyone vulnerable or in need of positive steps with regards to their wellbeing.
This is where the idea for my charity was born.
My vision is to empower those who lack confidence or guidance to believe in themselves and their capabilities, to reach their full potential in life, by learning skills and tools that leave them physically and mentally equipped to attack life positively. I believe fitness through boxing, paired with my personal experience of life challenges can help people to do this.
I particularly want to target youths and adults who are at risk of or, have previously offended and adults with mental health challenges.
In the future I would also like to work with youths and adults with physical disabilities.
These are the areas I have personal experience with and am passionate about making a change in.
I would like to achieve this by focusing on low-income areas that are suffering with high crime, reaching out to schools and the local council to find the most effective ways to make myself available.
I would also like to work with companies who are in employment of staff to arrange group training for any mental and physical wellbeing clients. Particularly those in high stress employment such as the humanities services.
In the future I would also like to visit schools and establishments that house adults and children with physical disabilities to encourage them to use and love their bodies.
Fitness through boxing will challenge and empower people. Learning boxing skills and achieving targets, seeing themselves get better at something challenging, whilst getting fitter and stronger, will teach a person of their true capabilities. The community of boxing is a supportive one which I believe has many positive and influential role models. I am keen to show youths a different way of life, that it is possible to be strong, confident, popular, respected and capable whilst walking legal path.
Boxing and fitness have equipped me with so many life skills that I have shared with many clients over the years. I now want to become accessible to those suffering barriers to begin their wellbeing journey.