Northampton’s Team Shoe-Box boxing club has hit onto a ‘knockout’ win this Christmas – by coming up with a novel way to donate toys to a local charity.
The kind-hearted fighters and members waived all training fees for a week in exchange for donations of toys, which they have now handed to the town’s Home-Start local community charity which helps families with young families through challenging times. The toys could not have come at a more appropriate time as Home-Start’s team of trained volunteers and experts are busy supporting families in the lead up to the big day on December 25.
Team Shoe-Box owner and trainer James Conway is a community advocate, and is always looking to help. He and the club continue to support foodbanks and during the summer staged a boxing camp for children in partnership with Northamptonshire Sport and the government ‘Holiday Activities and Food’ scheme.
Conway said: “We are always looking for different ways we can support our community and always looking to make a difference. “Christmas can be a hugely challenging time for some families so partnering with Home-Start was straight forward for us. “The club family rose to the occasion and gladly dug deep and donated various toys, all of which will make a difference to a young family here in Northampton. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
On receiving the donated toys, Home-Start’s scheme manager Bernadette Barnes, said: “Wow. What a fantastic gesture. Many of the families we support just can’t give their children what most of us would consider a normal Christmas, they struggle financially throughout the year and Christmas just adds to the pressure. I know they will be so extremely grateful for the toys donated by Team Shoe-Box. A special thanks to Nav Kaul (Team-Shoe Box member) for coordinating. We really appreciate your support.”