Young people in Crewe have a lot to celebrate, thanks to a partnership between South Cheshire Amateur Boxing Club and Crewe Youth Club. They now have a brand-new boxing gym and youth space at Mirion Street, the first purpose-built youth space in Crewe in over 60 years.
It’s a collaborative project that’s been built by the community, for the community, and will give young people every opportunity to have fun and improve their health and life chances.
The new state-of-the-art youth space has been generously funded by the UK Government’s Towns Fund ((£1,190,402), the UK Government’s Youth Investment Fund (£820,622), the Garfield Weston Foundation (£150,000), the Community Ownership Fund (£300,000), and the Improved, Greener, Communities Facilities Fund (£15,000).
Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth, joined young boxers, and special guests at a ribbon-cutting event (27 June 2025) to mark the centre’s opening. Over 70 guests joined together to celebrate the new youth space, including young people and their families, boxing coaches, Crewe Youth Club and South Cheshire Amateur Boxing Club Boards of Trustees, members of Crewe Town Board and representatives of other funders and supporters.
They were joined by the Chair of Cheshire East Council’s Children and Families Committee, Cllr Laura Crane, Crewe Town Council Mayor, Councillor Sally Graham, Connor Naismith MP for Crewe and Nantwich, and Tony Davison, Chair of Crewe Town Board.
The celebration included a tour of the brand-new facilities and equipment and an opportunity to meet young boxers as they shared their ideas and ambitions for the new gym.
Tony Davison said: “Today marks a proud moment for Crewe. It is a key step towards ensuring that every young person in the town — and across Cheshire East — has access to the opportunities and spaces they deserve, and we look forward to seeing this facility thrive.”
“This spectacular new facility is the first of several major regeneration projects that were initiated in 2019, through the development of the Crewe Town Investment Plan and an eventual investment of £22.9m from the Government’s Towns Fund. Many of these Towns Fund projects prioritise the well-being of Crewe’s young people, which we see as an investment in our town’s future, for the benefit of all.”
“With today’s grand opening and other Towns Fund projects also advancing, 2025/26 is set to deliver a great deal of progress along the town’s regeneration journey.”
Mike Morris, Chair of Crewe Youth Club said: “Today is an historic moment; working together we’ve built a state-of-the-art space for young people on land that had been derelict for over ten years. Developing the Mirion Street Centre has been a labour of love, and a rollercoaster ride at times, but we’re proud of the result.”
Robert Kelsall, Trustee of Crewe Youth Club added: “We are all so excited to open our dream space and see young people reaping the benefits. This fantastic new centre is the first of its kind in Crewe in 60 years. We’ve run many workshops with young people to ensure that the gym has been built around young people’s hopes and ambitions and was inspired by the club motto “All Different – All Equal.”
Nathan Clarke, Head Coach at South Cheshire Amateur Boxing Club, started boxing at the age of 13 at his local boxing club. Nathan has dedicated his working life to inspiring young people and giving them every opportunity to learn, grow and develop vital skills for life.
The new boxing gym has been built on a large 1.13-acre site in the centre of Crewe. Around two-thirds of the land has been used for the development, leaving plenty of space for outdoor activities and future development for the benefit of the youth community.
Nathan Clarke, Head Coach at South Cheshire Amateur Boxing Club, said: “We are all so excited to see our fantastic new facility come to life! We’ve built it and now we want to see young people flooding through the doors. We have a dedicated coaching team ready to go, and some amazing new equipment, including two full-size boxing rings. Boxing is not only a brilliant way to keep fit, and learn about discipline, structure and growth, our coaches bring much more than just boxing, their support makes a huge difference to young people’s lives.”
