Knockout blow delivered as Ludlow boxing club demolished

A dilapidated boxing club in Ludlow has been razed to the ground.

The building on Wheeler Road was bulldozed yesterday after months of planning to replace it with a new £37,000 community centre which will also serve as a base for local boxers.

MP Philip Dunne, mayor of Ludlow John Aitken, councillors and residents were all on hand to witness a huge digger tear the building down.

Ludlow Amateur Boxing Club has used the building since it re-formed in 2007.

Club secretary Duncan Morris added: "We hope the new place will bring more members, especially women, and we may start a new boxercise class too if there's enough interest."

Funding for the new centre has come from Shropshire Council, Ludlow Town Council and private donations.

Ludlow Town Council clerk Veronica Calderbank said: "This is great news for the town as there are so many youngsters involved with the club."

Ludlow Town Council deputy clerk, Gina Wilding, said the new club would be built early next year and includes facilities the whole community could use.

She said: "The new facilities will include a boxing ring, a community space, unisex / disabled access changing rooms, a kitchen, and adult shower facilities.

"The boxing club is a community youth facility and fund raising will be needed to ensure its ongoing development and success.

"There are many ways that local businesses can sponsor equipment or donate funds to support and benefit young people in Ludlow."