St Mary's young boxers with coaches at the club's refurbished gym

St Mary's Amateur Boxing Club are in the latter stages of re-equipping their gym after receiving a £5,000 grant.

The payout from the Grass Roots Foundation has helped the Chatham-based club undertake much-needed improvements to the facilities and make life more comfortable for the aspiring boxers.

Five new punch bags have been purchased, as have new sparring gloves, while a new shower and kitchen has been installed and the club minibus has also been upgraded.

These are just some of the improvements and coach Dave Bowler is delighted. He said: "The club is looking good and there is a real buzz around here after a great season last year for myself, Warren Simmons and Keith Rose.

"We had 109 bouts last season with 78 wins and 31 defeats. We want to get these boys out boxing and not just training in the gym."