A local property developer has been hailed a ‘champ’ by an amateur boxing club in Carlton after throwing £3,000 into the ring in answer to the group’s pleas for funds.
When ALB Group managing director Arran Bailey learned that Phoenix Boxing Club was in search of £3,000 for much-needed training equipment, he proved to be no lightweight by offering to donate the full amount.
The club’s gym, on Burton Road, near to ALB Group’s headquarters, is staffed entirely by volunteers and has built a reputation for steering disadvantaged youngsters off the streets and onto the right path.
It was seeking cash to replace worn-out training equipment such as punch bags and skipping ropes for its 100 members, aged between nine and 40 years old.
Now, the generous ALB donation has also enabled the club to kit out all its members in new branded shorts and vests, in the club’s distinctive gold and black colours.
Over the years, Phoenix has punched well above its weight in generating future champions, including two-time world featherweight holder Lee Wood and multiple world title-winning super-middleweight Carl Froch.
Dale McPhilbin, the seasoned head coach of Phoenix Amateur Boxing Club, said ALB’s donation would help to continue the breeding of more world champions like Wood and Froch, including the club’s up-and-coming female boxer Geneva Jones (17), who will soon be contesting the semi-finals of the national junior championships.
“Arran Bailey is an absolute champ for offering this extremely generous gesture from ALB Group. It’s just fantastic. For someone local who’s made a great success of his business, it’s just brilliant to see them in your corner, giving back to their community.
“Phoenix is known in the amateur boxing world as one of best clubs in England. We’ve always produced champions and we want to carry on doing just that. This donation helps us out massively, not least because all the coaches and staff are all volunteers, so we need every penny we can get.
“If these kids didn’t come to train here, many of them would potentially be spending the time on their phones or being led astray, walking the streets and missing school.
“But me and the five other coaches give 100 per cent in the gym, and the kids generally give it back – and their schoolwork improves in the process.”
ALB Group has been known in the past for donating large sums to worthy causes. Only last year, the firm donated a massive £20,000 to Our Dementia Choir after being moved by the plight of its members during a TV series with the charity’s chair, Nottingham actress Vicky McClure.
Professionally, ALB is on a mission to breathe new life into the UK’s struggling high streets by buying and refurbishing tired town centre buildings, creating residential properties in their upper floors and encouraging business by offering ground floor retail units at a cheaper and more flexible rate than the norm.
Managing director Arran Bailey said ALB Group planned to continue its support for the club in the future.
“It is incredibly important for businesses to support their local communities,” said Arran. “Doing so becomes a win-win for everyone concerned.
“Phoenix Boxing Club is an outstanding community asset. Dale and the rest of the guys there go above and beyond to create an environment that gives the youngsters a level of discipline and fitness that they would otherwise be unlikely to achieve.
“Importantly, they teach them about respect and the benefits of hard work, which in turn benefits the wider community. They’re doing an amazing job there and we are delighted to help them achieve their fundraising targets.”
He added: “We fully recognise the tireless work that Dale and the rest of the volunteers put into Phoenix. They are truly unsung heroes in terms of both the club and their community.”
Despite the ALB gift, the boxing club will also continue other fundraising activities, including a Christmas raffle and bag-packing and bucket collections at a nearby Tesco store.
