All donations go to funding access provision

The gym within the Thurrock area has been set up to help them shape their body and strengthen their mind, which as you can imagine has helped the community, especially during the pandemic.

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The young people that have used the gym have come from a multitude of backgrounds.

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* Young people with parental losses;

* Poverty * Looked after Young People

* Children in need

* Young people with parents serving custodial sentences

* Young people who have set up their own businesses

* Young offenders

* Young people with special needs, physical and or emotional.

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The gym has a 10-foot ring, machine weights, punch bags, speed bags, floor to ceiling bags, slip bags, skipping ropes, free weights, gloves, cardio machines, a training timer, Bluetooth speaker system, toilets, kitchen area for access to water and a fridge to store food and drink.

Young people are able to take personal responsibility to run their own sessions or can become involved in several sessions designed for young people to keep fit (led by a member of staff)

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•    Wing Chun kung fu self-defence-based classes;

•    MMA training;

•    Boxing training;

•    HIIT sessions;

•    Weight lifting sessions;

•    Callisthenics;

•    Isometric training.

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Young people have reported that they have felt better physically and emotionally due to being able to access the gym at a variety of times that are not beholden to attendance and or outcomes.

The gym is accessed by young people of different ethnicities, genders and social backgrounds. 

Utilising the gym has a number of factors to which contribute to the improvement of physical health, however, emotional health is often over-looked within a “physical setting”. Currently, young people are stating the gym gives them a place for “headspace” and a feeling of being “home”. Young people will complete a variety of healthy eating sessions, learn about a variety of exercises and encourage each other to be healthy holistically! Young people also engage in meditation and mindfulness after physical sessions and state this helps them to leave the gym with an even greater mindset.  We are working with 24 young people at the moment, but we want to expand this exponentially to positively affect up to 350 young people.

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Our young people are all aware of the responsibilities they have to the gym; respect to others and to their surroundings. The young people who access the gym don't always know each other and come from a variety of backgrounds and different geographical locations in Thurrock (East Tilbury, Tilbury, Grays, Chafford Hundred, Ockendon, Aveley). The gym creates a positive hub in a positive location for our young people to feel safe, supported and part of their greater community.

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During Covid, our young people have experienced more frustration, anxiety, anger and stress and to top it off, many can no longer afford to go to ANY OTHER gym other than ours.