A fighting chance for our young people

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I am committed to the grassroots organisations that are quietly transforming lives in our town, and that I am a big boxing fan. When the two collide, you are sure to find me ringside, cheering them on.

I was proud to welcome the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, Clive Grunshaw, to Brian Rose Boxing Academy to see first-hand how money seized from criminals is being reinvested to make Blackpool safer.

The funding, awarded through the Commissioner’s Community Fund and allocated by me, has already made a tangible difference. It has helped the academy secure a minibus, dramatically expanding its reach – enabling young people to travel to competitions and sparring sessions across the country and allowing the team to extend their alternative education and outreach work into more isolated parts of our community.

For me, grassroots boxing gyms like this are more than just places to train — they are lifelines. Every evening, young people aged 11 to 18 walk through the doors at their base in Blackpool Sports Centre instead of drifting towards anti-social behaviour or getting caught up in crime. They find structure, discipline, respect and resilience. They find mentors and they find purpose.

As Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Boxing, I’ve been working in Parliament to raise the profile of grassroots boxing and champion the role it plays in building confidence and opening doors to opportunity. But it’s here at home where I see its impact most clearly.

I’m grateful to the PCC for giving local MPs like me the opportunity to support projects we know are making a real difference on the ground. By reinvesting money taken from criminals into organisations that prevent crime and reoffending, we are quite literally turning the tables – using the proceeds of wrongdoing to create positive futures.

And I’m proud of the work being led by Brian Rose and his team. Their mission is simple but powerful: give young people the chance to choose the right path in life. With the right backing, that’s exactly what they’re helping them to do.

This is what community investment looks like. And it’s exactly the kind of partnership working we need to keep people safe and give the next generation in Blackpool the opportunities they deserve.