Langley Park Boxing Club opens doors to support community, fitness and futures

Not-for-profit grassroots club to provide North East boxers with pathway to Olympic opportunities.

A not-for-profit boxing club has opened in a County Durham village to provide a welcome space for children, teenagers and adults alike to get fit, learn new skills and build confidence.

Langley Park Boxing Club was founded by local coach Harry Thorpe, who had previously boxed regionally across Tyne Tees and Wear. Motivated by a desire to take ownership of his son’s boxing journey, and give back to the community, he set out to bring the club to life in late 2023, enlisting the help of fellow Langley Park resident and boxing coach James Potter and Paul Bainbridge, one of the most senior amateur boxing officials in the region, who joined Harry on his journey to open the club.

Fast forward 18 months and with key support from Karbon Homes, BAM Construction, Lumsden & Carroll and The County Durham Pound, the club is thriving in its home in the former Derwentside Homes Neighbourhood Office and is already attracting kids and adults into the club from around the county. Recognising the lack of youth-focused activities in the area, the trio set out to create a safe, supportive environment where young people can thrive through sport.

Thorpe said: “I just wanted to create something where I could have complete input in shaping not only my own children’s futures, but also support other kids through sport, and giving them an opportunity to explore competitive boxing too.

“We’re more than a typical gym – we encourage use of the club for fitness and building confidence and we also have a focus on helping people train for competitions and taking their skills to the next level. Our aim is to provide athletes with the opportunity to enter elite boxing should they wish, and we have developed our offering and training in line with the England Boxing pathway.”

Langley Park Boxing Club is entirely volunteer-run, with Harry, James and Paul sharing the duties of running the club supported by three additional local coaches who all live in the village. The club opens for two hours every evening offering beginner classes right through to those wishing to compete in amateur boxing. Sessions are open to children as young as nine up to adults aged over 40, reflecting the diversity and accessibility of the space.

Unlike non-affiliated clubs, Langley Park Boxing Club is registered with England Boxing, meaning its members follow a recognised competitive route. The club has already produced a regional title holder, Joel Thorpe, who won the North East Schoolboy Championships in April, with hopes for national success in the coming year.

James Potter, club treasurer, added: “The club currently welcomes between 25 to 30 young people per session from Langley Park, Witton Gilbert, Sacriston, Esh Winning, Consett, Easington Lane, Chester le Street and the surrounding areas. Young members typically join from age nine in preparation for competitive boxing at age ten and we reinvest proceeds from sessions directly back into club maintenance, equipment and competition costs. The key driver here is to provide a pathway to success, not only developing better boxers, but brighter futures for the young people it serves.”

Securing a building proved to be one of the biggest early challenges, but a building came through Karbon Homes as major community and corporate support enabled the vision to become a reality. BAM Construction renovated the building paving the way for it to be fitted out with top-of-the-range Concept2 rowers, ski machines, and professional-grade punch bags — all geared toward developing elite talent and giving kids a place away from the streets.

BAM and its supply chain invested £40,000 and dedicated 832 volunteer hours to fully renovate the space. Clare Gill, BAM Social Sustainability Manager, said: “We’re proud to have initiated and led the transformation of what was once an unused building into a vibrant, modern boxing club. It’s been incredible to see this space completely revitalised, bringing new life and energy to the heart of the community. Alongside our supply chain, we’re honoured to have delivered a facility that will inspire the next generation of athletes and support positive opportunity for everyone involved.”

Paul Moralee, Community Investment Manager at Karbon Homes, said: “As a Karbon colleague, Harry reached out to Karbon’s Community Investment Team for advice and help with getting this project off the ground. Straight away we knew this would be a project that would bring a much-needed health and wellbeing provision to the Langley Park community and would massively benefit our customers who lived there, so we jumped to helped Harry set up a Community interest Company to get the ball rolling.

“The gym building itself is owned by Karbon, but had sat empty for a while after closing as a local neighbourhood office, so we were really pleased to be able to work with Harry and our facilities team to get a change of lease in place to give the gym a home. Through our Community investment Fund we were also able to support the project with a grant for £3,600 to go towards set up costs, to safely run the club and ensure its long-term success and viability.”

Lumsden & Carroll, the housing infrastructure division of Esh Construction, donated £10,000 in sponsorship to support start-up and operational costs. Business Development Director Ross Markwell said: “As a local contractor with deep roots in the area, supporting Langley Park Boxing Club is something we’re incredibly proud to be part of.

“Many of our employees, subcontractors, and their families live in and around the village, so giving back to the community that’s helped shape our business means a lot to us. We’re always keen to invest in the next generation and providing them with opportunities on their doorstep benefits the whole community.”

Councillor Stephen Gray, Portfolio Holder for Digital and Customer Services said: “This project is a true example of collaboration and place-based Social Value and epitomises the ethos of the County Durham Pound.  By focussing on local impact, we can achieve so much more by working in partnership and it’s fantastic to see organisations from the public, private and VCSE sector coming together to direct their time, expertise, donations and funding to support a thriving community asset for Langley Park.”