Thanks to support received from Marcus Rashford’s Free School Meals campaign, local boxer Tom Brennan who runs the Barn Boxing & Fitness centre in Clanfield has been inviting young people to attend free half-term Boxing & Food Workshops.
Children who qualify for free school meals, living in Carterton and the surrounding area, are able to attend the club and partake in boxing and other fun activities whilst learning about food, meal planning and budgeting. During the school holidays, these children who depend on their school dinners during term-time often go hungry. However, this initiative – also funded with help from Oxfordshire County Council and private sponsors – offers children the opportunity to eat delicious, nutritious food, gain knowledge about how to meal plan and budget when income is limited and take part in a range of activities.
Tom Brennan tells us more. “The Barn Boxing & Fitness Centre had the privilege of holding a Boxing and Food Workshop during the Easter half-term. We had a group of mixed ages from ten to sixteen years of age and the young people really worked well together. Whilst boxing was the main focus of the week, including footwork, partner work to throw and defend shots and also mirror work where the participants were able to practice perfecting movements, we were also able to educate the young people about eating properly. Blake’s Kitchen and PR Performance worked closely with us. Blake’s Kitchen kindly agreed to provide the food each day. Colourful, nutritious food opened up endless conversations about food in general and the youngsters were able to learn more about trying different types of food which are healthy and affordable. One of the boys stated that the lunch was the “healthiest he’d ever eaten!” By introducing a range of new taste experiences, including chopped vegetables, blueberries, apples, and raspberries, many of the young people realised just how tasty snacking on raw vegetables could be. We got the kids interested in food education by putting an ‘eating as a boxer’ spin on the activities.”
“Paul Parker from PR Performances created a presentation for the group to watch. Working with elite athletes, including myself, Paul is our ‘go to’ for all things food, strength, and conditioning. He explained the role of different foods and encouraged everyone to practice cooking with items such as a chicken carcass which can be used to make nutritious stock for soups. Giving information on how nutritious food and hydration helps productivity, general wellbeing, and improved happiness, gave the young people a foundation on which to build for the future.”
Plans are in place to hold sessions with Help For Heroes throughout the school summer holidays. As a huge proportion of the Carterton community is linked with the RAF, it is hoped that Carterton residents will get their children involved in the various Boxing & Food Workshops. If the Barn Boxing & Fitness Centre is aware of your circumstances, they can arrange for you to train regardless of your financial situation. Boxing is an inclusive sport and Tom and his team believe that it is a tragedy for young people to miss out because their family is unable to pay for them to train.
To find out more visit brennanboxing.com
