Hull boxing club inspiring young people’s futures lands share of £1 million in National Lottery funding

Vulcan Boxing Club in Hull is among a group of charities to receive a share of more than £1 million over the past three months from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

There are 34 organisations in Hull and East Riding that have received a share of the vital funding, offering activities that range from online design workshops for children with special educational needs, to gardening sessions for communities who don’t have access to their own green spaces.

Vulcan Boxing Club is just one of the community-led groups to receive National Lottery funding, after being awarded almost £300,000. The project aims to help young people and the local community to achieve their potential and direct them towards a positive future.

Whether it’s working with children at risk of school exclusion, to young adults in need of mental health support, Vulcan Boxing Club – based out of their centre in West Hull – have a team of dedicated support staff, as well as a wide range of educational courses to help people find their path to success.

The funding will help to deliver vital activities to those who need it, such as food parcels, employment support, substance abuse and mental health advocacy, education and training, mentoring, youth work and free gym membership.

In 2019, Sophie Eldred-Wilkinson, 27, was experiencing significant issues with her mental health and attempted suicide. Concerned for her wellbeing, Sophie’s friend recommended that she visit the Vulcan Centre, a place which cares for the welfare of young people, and a safe space that can provide some support.

Low on confidence but with the support of her friends, Sophie visited the centre and met with Imogen Glazer, Head of Learning at Vulcan, who noticed that she was very shy, withdrawn and in her shell. Sophie started by using the gym at the centre, finding a passion for exercise that ultimately led to her improved mental wellbeing. Having seen Sophie’s confidence grow over time, Imogen approached Sophie about doing a gym instructor course with Vulcan, which she at first found daunting, but after settling into the programme she thrived.

With a nationwide lockdown put into place in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre had to close, which Sophie feared that having made such strides with her overall self-esteem, this could part undo some of her progress. Vulcan ensured that no young person would be left to their own devices, with dedicated support workers checking in regularly and delivering online exercise classes, and Sophie even volunteered to deliver food parcels to those who needed it.

Fast-forward to now, Sophie signed up to a college access course in Humanities and Social Science and has an offer to study a Psychology degree at the University of Hull.

Sophie said: “My aspirations are to use my degree to give back to Vulcan and the community and support other young people who have experienced issues with their mental and physical wellbeing.

“The first few weeks of lockdown I did really struggle – I didn’t even get out of my pyjamas! Thankfully, Vulcan banded together and were quick at getting people out for regular socially distanced visits and phone calls. The Zoom calls for the exercise sessions just kept that hope up, that they’re still here and we’re still being supported. They did their utmost to ensure that we were all looked after.

“Things weren’t the easiest at home for me, but Vulcan worked with me and my parents to give them more of an understanding on how to support me at home and where to reach out when I’m struggling. I can’t praise this place enough – I know I would have gotten well at some point, but I don’t think I’d have gotten this far this quickly if it wasn’t for Vulcan.

Seb Glazer, Managing Director at Vulcan Boxing Club, said: “We would like to thank National Lottery players, and the support of The National Lottery Community Fund. Over the course of the last three years our membership has grown from just over 1,000 to almost 7,000, with members coming from all over Hull and the East Riding.

“The funding has allowed us to support vulnerable young people, listen to their voices and to assist them to achieve their potential.

“For organisations such as ours The National Lottery Community Fund is a vital lifeline – without their assistance this would not be possible!”

Hull and East Riding aren’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced that almost £90 million* of National Lottery funding has been awarded to over 2,700 community groups across England.

Joe Dobson, Head of Funding for Yorkshire & Humber at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will have a huge impact on people’s lives across Hull and East Riding. Now two years on from the start of COVID-19 pandemic and what has been an incredibly challenging time for people across the UK, groups like Vulcan Boxing Club are continuing to step up to help their communities build back stronger.

“We’re proud to support people to come together and build community spirit during a momentous year that includes the UK’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games and commemorating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes across the UK. In the last 12 months we have given out nearly £600 million to 12,500 organisations reaching every local authority and constituency in the UK.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk