A boxing club’s partnership with a school is proving so successful it could now be copied elsewhere.

March Amateur Boxing Club has been running an after-school (non-contact) boxing club at the Neale-Wade Academy since September. At least a dozen young people take part in training sessions every week.

On Tuesday, Naomi Bickerdike, club support officer East and Home Counties Boxing England, visited the club on a fact finding mission with the aim of taking the idea out to the area’s other secondary schools including at Wisbech, Littleport, Chatteris and Whittlesey.

Mrs Bickerdike said: “We are very interested to see how the project is working at the Neale-Wade with the aim of growing the idea so we can encourage the other schools to follow suit.

“Sport England have announced £250,000 worth of funding for a pilot project in Fenland and we are determined that boxing will receive a share of the money.”

Club treasurer Councillor Will Sutton is delighted with the success of the project, which came about through discussions with Neale-Wade principal Jason Wing and MP Steve Barclay.

He said: “This is a great start, as a result of the after school club we have had a few young people sign up to the boxing club. We are now working with Mr Wing to see if we can introduce boxing to sports curriculum at the school.”

Mr Barclay held meetings with Mark Abberley, the CEO of Boxing England, as part of his on-going campaign for better sports funding for Fenland.

As a result, March Boxing Club was given a £1,000 grant from boxing charity the Central Society and Recreational Trust for new equipment.

Mr Barclay said: “It is great news that the after-school club is proving so successful and it also good to hear that England Boxing are looking at ways of encouraging more people in our area to get involved.

“I’m really pleased the national body is looking at ways of capitalising on the Sport England funding in Fenland.”