Latest news with #boxingclub
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Southend: Youth club 'gutted' after £1.2m grant is taken away
Members of a youth club and a boxing club say they are devastated after £1.2m of government money to build a new facility was subsequently withdrawn, despite them already starting the Boys Club moved out of its premises in Southend-on-Sea two years ago ahead of an anticipated rebuild, but it has been left with no home - as has Southend Amateur Boxing Club, which is now in a temporary facility which it says it cannot Essex Boys and Girls Clubs (EGBC) - an umbrella organisation which secured the grant - said the decision to pull the grant funding was "gutting".Social Investment Business (SIB) which distributes the grants on behalf of the govrenment said it had to be confident that projects could be delivered on time and represent "good value for money". 'Ready to go' Lifstan Boys Club has been running since the 1950s and moved into its premises on Lifstan Way in the 1960s, with the Southend Amateur Boxing Club joining a few years later.A pre-fabricated building, it was only meant to last for 30 years, and its roof and floor were too costly to maintain or repair. A grant of £1.4m to demolish the building and construct a new one was secured by EGBC from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as part of its Youth Investment said around £200,000 of the money had already been spent on preparatory work and surveys. After its initial contractor pulled out of the project, it found a new one who was "ready to go" when it heard the rest of the funding was being Solder, deputy county director of EGBC, admitted there was a "slight shortfall" between the grant and actual cost of the build, but his organisation had enough funds to cover it."But that wasn't enough for SIB to deem the project worthy of continuing," he told the BBC."I just couldn't believe that we'd invested so much time into a project, to get it so close that everyone was ready to get working - for them to still say 'no', it was gutting really."John Plummer, treasurer of both the Lifstan Boys Club and Southend Amateur Boxing Club, said he feared the two clubs would "become extinct" without a new building."I think that's disgraceful that it could happen," he said."I hope we find a solution but I can't see one in the near future." The Southend Amateur Boxing Club has moved to a former dance studio a mile-and a-half (2.4km) away, but its volunteer staff said it is too expensive."One month's rent [here] is pretty much a year's rent at Lifstan," said Danny Neville, head coach at the boxing club and a committee member at Lifstan Boys Club."This town needs this club - there's no other youth clubs about," he added."There's nothing left in this town apart from computer screens and crime - the kids need us."Joel Brown joined the boxing club when he was just nine years old. Twenty years later, he is now the club's child welfare officer, but he is worried about its future."I don't know if we'll survive, to be honest with you," he told the BBC."To see it go would really be a disservice to the city, and as a Southend man it would break my heart to see it." 'Value for money' The Department for Culture Media and Sport declined to comment, although it said that it has invested £145m into youth programmes for 2025-26.A spokesperson for SIB said: "We appreciate how disappointing the loss of funding will have been for Essex Boys and Girls Club"."The withdrawal of funding is never a step we want to take and is only ever a last resort."But the spokesperson said it had to apply "a thorough and consistent approach to all projects as part of managing the funds for DCMS". "Whilst the Youth Investment Fund seeks to support as many young people as possible in a meaningful way, with nearly 200 projects successfully completed, it also needs to be confident that projects can be delivered successfully within the timescales of the fund and represent good value for money," they added.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Child sex offender who orally raped schoolgirl, 15, during livestreamed abuse posed at sports club where young girls trained while on BAIL for attack
A child sex offender who was spared jail for orally raping a 15-year-old schoolgirl while his friend livestreamed the attack on social media has been pictured posing half-naked at a boxing gym where young girls train whilst on bail. Michael Linfoot, 24, trained at a gym in Chorley, Greater Manchester after being arrested and bailed on charges of sexual abuse against the girl when he was 18. He was pictured in March 2023 in boxing gloves and no shirt, standing next to youngsters during a training session - two-and-a-half years after he and his co-offenders were first arrested in October 2020. The club told MailOnline they had no idea of the allegations or bail conditions facing Linfoot at the time, and he was banned from attending as soon as bosses were informed by England Boxing. The boxing and fitness club's social media accounts show that adults, boys and girls all trained there around the time Linfoot, who would have been 21, attended. Linfoot, was bailed with conditions including that he should have no contact with any girl under 16. He was also told to have no contact with his co-defendants, to live and sleep at the same address, and was told not to enter certain locations. It is not known whether he was in the gym at the same time as any girls under 16 - but he failed to declare that he had been arrested for the offence or any of his bail conditions to anyone at the boxing club, allowing him to attend without restriction. The picture has since been deleted from the club's Facebook page. Linfoot was first arrested as part of Greater Manchester Police 's Operation Pavarotti, set up to tackle child sexual exploitation in Bolton. At least 21 men were arrested in relation to 11 victims and 13 charged with various sexual offences against underage girls. Linfoot and his co-offenders were on bail for more than four years, in which time social media posts show they continued to live normal lives. He posted pictures on his social media of him enjoying luxury holidays in Turkey and Ibiza while on bail, in addition to continuing to attend the local gym and training centre. Linfoot, 24, Callum Hesketh, 24, and Thomas Rae, 24, all of Chorley in Greater Manchester, were all convicted of sexual offences against their victim in 2018 on Thursday. They were all 18 when the offences took place. It comes as representatives for victims and their families lead calls for alleged offenders to have stricter bail conditions and to be monitored more closely by police. Earlier this year, it emerged that plans being drawn up by the Ministry of Justice would see certain groups more likely to face discrimination such as ethnic minorities, pregnant women and trans people would be prioritised for bail due to being at 'higher risk' in custody. Guidance issued in January sets out 'key criteria' for identifying 'priority defendant cohorts' which includes women, pregnancy or maternity, young adults aged 18 to 25, people with mental health conditions, and those deemed as 'vulnerable'. The 85-page policy titled 'Probation Court Services Police Framework', states: 'Cases should be prioritised for defendants who may be at a disproportionately higher risk of being remanded into custody or where complex needs are identified that indicate additional support for the bail process might be beneficial.' And in 2021, then-Home Secretary Priti Patel pledged to end the practice of suspects being released on bail with no conditions. A string of high profile cases in recent years have seen offenders break their bail conditions, including TV reality star Stephen Bear. On June 16, 2018 Hesketh and Linfoot, who were both 18 at the time, lured the victim and her friend into Linfoot's van and the pair drove them to Rivington in exchange for alcoholic drinks. After the girl's friend stepped outside to take a phone call, Hesketh began having sex with the victim while Linfoot orally raped her at the same time. Shockingly Hesketh began recording the acts on his phone and livestreamed them on social media, commenting: 'Gang bang out here.' The victim told police she then heard Hesketh speaking on the phone before three more men arrived, and one, Rae, approached the van and orally raped her. The men then drove the two girls to Adlington and purchased them a bottle of wine. At Liverpool Crown Court, Micahel Linfoot, Callum Hesketh, and Thomas Rae, all from Chorley, were each allowed to walk free from court after being given suspended sentences. All three men pleaded guilty to sexual offences at a previous hearing. Linfoot originally pleaded not guilty to rape but admitted sexual activity with a child. Linfoot was convicted of one count of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16 in Rivington in 2018. He has been sentenced to 11 months in prison, suspended for 12 months. Rae was convicted of one count of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16 in Rivington in 2018. He has been sentenced to 11 months in prison, suspended for 12 months. Callum Hesketh was convicted of sending sexualised social media messages to the victim and one count of making indecent videos of a child in Rivington 2018. He was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months. The boxing gym was a satellite club, meaning it is based in the community and is not officially regulated by or affiliated with England Boxing. This means the club would have its own safeguarding and other procedures that are not mandated by the national body. But MailOnline understands that a whistleblower shared the photograph and details of Linfoot's offending with England Boxing, who then informed the gym. A spokesperson for the sports club, based in Lancashire, said: 'Shortly after this picture was taken, we were notified by England Boxing that Michael Linfoot had sexual offence accusations against him. 'Michael was told not to come back to the boxing gym, and we did not admit him again.' A spokesperson for England Boxing said: 'England Boxing is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and regulation across the sport. 'As the National Governing Body, we enforce rigorous safeguarding practices within our jurisdiction and provide thorough training and support to all affiliated coaches and clubs. 'The safety and welfare of young people is our utmost priority, and we expect every club and coach to fully meet these standards. 'The individual in question is not a member of England Boxing, nor is his club affiliated to England Boxing. 'While we do not have authority over unaffiliated clubs, we strongly encourage parents/carers and participants to verify that any club or coach they box with is properly affiliated with England Boxing and fully compliant with our strict safeguarding protocols.'
