Community boxing gym brings new life to abandoned building in Crediton, Devon

Community boxing gym, Bang Bang Boxing, is up and running in Crediton, Devon, thanks to a Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank. Army veteran Jamie Parker transformed the derelict building, which had been empty for around 15 years, to bring Crediton its first dedicated boxing gym.

Jamie first discovered his passion for boxing during his 11 years serving with the Army, including with the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and as a physical training instructor. But after competing in a few amateur fights, he couldn’t give his hobby the attention it needed as he regularly moved around.

After leaving the army, Jamie worked in a variety of roles including as a fitness instructor, before moving to the small town of Crediton two years ago to care for a young man with additional needs. It was then he decided to return to his passion for boxing. “I wanted to get back into my boxing training but there weren’t any facilities in the area. So I thought, why not start up my own?”

Jamie applied to the Start Up Loans programme through one of the British Business Bank’s Business Support Partners, X Forces Enterprise, for £15,000 to help with the fit out of the space and for purchasing equipment such as weights, the boxing ring and running machines.

Jamie said: “The process was very smooth and the Bank not only helped with providing the funds but also with the business plan.”

The project quickly turned into a community endeavour when Jamie started to log the building transformation on Facebook.

“I’ve been lucky to have some really dedicated volunteers to help convert this building, which was falling down, into something we can be proud of. We spent a couple of months transforming the space which was derelict when we took it over.” He also appealed to the community for donations to help with the fit out and raised over £1,000.

The boxing gym opened at the beginning of May 2024 and is run as both a limited company and a community interest company. It is already proving popular with the community, with hundreds of clients in the first few weeks alone for a range of fitness classes and training.

"We offer competitive boxing training for different age groups. It is an England-registered boxing club so we will be able to compete within the England amateur boxing ranking with local, regional and national competitions,” said Jamie.

The gym also offers a range of fitness classes open to all ages including over 50s and kids’ boxercise sessions, circuit training, women only and men only sessions, self-defence classes as well as family fun classes on a Saturday.

“This isn’t just a boxing gym, it’s a community space that can provide opportunity. We’re working with wellbeing services in the area to help turn this into a community hub which can help people who have lost their way in life,” said Jamie.

So what’s next for Bang Bang Boxing? “In the long term I would love to open similar gyms in other small towns across Devon but for now I’m focusing on making sure we deliver for our community.”

Start Up Loans is a government-backed scheme from the British Business Bank, available to people looking to start or grow a business in the UK. It offers unsecured loans of up to £25,000 with a fixed interest rate of 6 per cent, repayable over one to five years. Successful applicants also receive 12 months of free mentoring to help them succeed. Find out more at startuploans.co.uk