Danny Neville, Head Coach at Southend Amateur Boxing Club, said: “It keeps kids out of trouble, keeps them off their screens… they can make new friends, build confidence. This is what we’re looking to do, we’re looking to bring the community together and get kids building their confidence.”

Matt Dent, Labour and Cooperative councillor, said a new facility would be “fantastic for the whole area”.

The replacement building – which will provide boxing facilities, dance classes and CV workshops – is expected to be open by September 2027.

The club has been running since the 1950s and moved into its Lifstan Way premises in the 1960s, with Southend Amateur Boxing Club joining them in the building a few years later.

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