Profiles

Twelve youngsters from the Right Stuff Boxing Club got to spend a week at the Total Knockout boxing boot camp in Tenerife.

Local businesses from around Stone in Staffordshire were so impressed by what the young people are doing for the town that they stumped up £8,000 for the holiday.

Two years ago, local shop keepers and businesses were subjected to youngsters causing trouble on the streets of Stone. Some had windows smashed, some say their customers were verbally abused by drunken youths, and they say they were desperate for a resolution.

PC Andy Whitehall is a local police officer in the town and had arrested many of the young people for their anti-social behaviour. So when he came up with the idea of starting a boxing club, he had the full backing of the businesses and the young people.

Community projects

But it's a boxing club with a difference. It's not just about throwing punches in a controlled environment - every one of the members has to sign a contract to say they'll take part in community projects. Over the last year, they've done litter picking, gardening and taken food parcels to the elderly.

PC Andy Whitehall says "The idea was about getting them to do visibly good things in their neighbourhood, so that they would also earn the respect of the residents of Stone".

They've come a long way from causing trouble on the streets of Stone and that's why local shop keepers wanted to reward them.

For the majority of the young people going on the trip to Tenerife - it was the first time they'd been abroad, and arriving at Manchester Airport at 7.30am - it was excitement overload.

First foreign holiday

Not only were they going on their first foreign holiday, when they got there, they'd be running along the beach in Los Christianos, training a professional boot camp and climbing the highest mountain in Spain.

After being on the road since 5am - it was a good 12 hours later they finally arrived at the Total Knockout boot camp.

Set high in the hills overlooking the coastline of Los Christianos - the group was overjoyed when they saw their accommodation and facilities. They would be staying a week in a luxury villa, with a swimming pool and a full professional boxing gym in the basement.

It wasn't long before boot camp kicked in and the youngsters did a full training session after arriving. The trip started as it meant to go on.

Ready to run

What a way to start the day - limbering up on the beach in Los Christianos. The sky was blue, the sun was shining - but forget having a nice stroll, or lying on a sun lounger - these youngsters were getting ready for a 5 mile jog.

In the heat, many of the young people were anxious as to whether or not they could do the run, but every one of them said they were going to try their best. Fifty minutes later, and the first of them was completing the circuit.

The next ten minutes saw everyone of them cross the finishing line. They were sweating, out of breath and desperate to drink water, but they were congratulated for their efforts, for aiming high, and not giving in.

This was just the beginning of the day. Little did they know what was in store for them later - another full training session in the boxing gym.

Staying out of trouble

Getting to train where professional boxers train, was a great motivator for the youngsters. In fact the whole trip itself was a massive motivator for keeping them out of trouble.

One of the members, Nikki Sims has been dealt a few blows in her life.  It's what lead her to becoming an alcoholic at just the age of twelve. She was drinking anything she could get her hands on, morning, noon and night.

She's got 14 criminal convictions mainly for drink related offences. She's been to prison and is currently serving a two-year supervision order.

Wake-up call

But the wake-up call came when a doctor told her she'd die if she carried on drinking. It's then that she turned to Andy Whitehall for help.

From day one since the Right Stuff Boxing Club started, Nikki has been a member. She became so committed that she even trained with a broken thumb. Through the community projects and wanting to give something back to her neighbourhood, she's won two awards for volunteering.

Nikki is a recovering alcoholic and she says she can "never say never" to a drink. But what she does know, is that she doesn't want to go back to her old ways, she's want to get a career.

She says: "I'm proud of what I've achieved. But the respect I get off people is the best thing so far and my health."

Charitable actions

As well as getting a taste for training like the professionals do - the youngsters from the Right Stuff Boxing Club wanted to do a sponsored climb, to raise money for a baby who's recently lost her father. They only chose to climb Mount Teide - the highest Mountain in Spain.

The day started with the feeling of dread, the feeling of the unknown as the mountain loomed over them. Standing at 12,000 feet - it's three times the size of Snowdon and the group had never before accomplished anything like this in their lives.

The climb started with a dry easy terrain, but then soon changed to climbing up rocks, with every member helping one another.

It was a good three hours before they reached a place, where they could climb no higher. The only way up was by cable car.

Like being with the Gods

After having to get over their fear of flying on day 1 - on day 3 it was now time to be even braver and jump on board a carriage suspended in the air, which rose to 12,000 feet.

At the top it was like being with the gods. Being so high up, the clouds were actually below. The temperature had changed dramatically and it was hard to breathe because of the lack of oxygen.

But what an achievement for every single one of them. That's why when they got to the top, they shouted their group motto, standing in a circle, all holding hands "one for all, and all for one".

Laura May McMullan