11:00, 12 March 2026
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
Meet Dave Morris — a Greater Manchester local with a powerful belief in boxing as a tool for building confidence, connection and opportunity.
What began during lockdown as a simple way to get people outdoors, active and engaged with their community quickly grew into something far bigger. Dave started by offering local residents a positive outlet through boxing sessions.
That small idea has since grown into a movement, helping hundreds of people across the region and laying the foundation for what is now set to become Greater Manchester’s first fully inclusive, trauma-informed boxing hub – Boxing for Better.
Now they’re on a mission to raise £30,000 in a Crowdfunder campaign to expand their offering.
In 2021, former amateur boxer Dave decided he couldn’t ignore what was happening in Leigh, Greater Manchester. The town was seeing a rise in crime rates, especially those involving young people with one case in particular standing out to him.
In an interview with Smiley News, Dave said: “ I've always loved my hometown, but it’s got its own issues. There are lots of areas of social deprivation. There’s lots of unemployment.
“Things started to happen in Leigh that didn’t sit right with me. I was raising a family and wanted Leigh to be a safe place.”
After this realisation, Dave brought a bag of boxing gloves to a field for an impromptu session and over 30 kids showed up.
He commented: “It just felt like the right time after COVID to try to do something to give back and just grab one or two of those people that might go on the wrong path and give them a chance to do something positive.”
This single free boxing session for young people has grown into a movement that now supports hundreds of people every week across Wigan and beyond.
Instead of waiting for someone else to step in, he created Higher Folds Community Boxing: a single free weekly session for young people on a local estate where poverty, unemployment and antisocial behaviour were everyday realities.
That session still runs today… and it remains completely free.
What Dave and his team discovered was something boxing has quietly demonstrated for generations: the sport is about far more than fighting. The environment and structure of the sport offered individuals discipline, resilience and belonging.
Since those early days, Boxing For Better has expanded dramatically. Today the organisation delivers:
Every week, hundreds of people engage with these programmes. Yet despite the scale of the work, there has always been one major limitation.
There has never been a permanent home.
Sessions take place in borrowed church halls, community centres and schools. The programmes move from venue to venue — working hard to meet people where they are, but never able to fully build the kind of environment that long-term change requires.
That is about to change.
The proposed boxing hub in Leigh aims to become Greater Manchester’s first fully inclusive, trauma-informed boxing space, which can be supported by donating to their Crowdfunder Campaign here.
It will be designed not simply as a gym, but as a community centre for recovery, confidence and opportunity.
With £30,000 in funding, the empty space can be transformed into a hub that includes:
In practical terms, that means:
This is not simply about fitness.
It is about creating a place where people who are struggling can walk through the door and start moving forward again.
Donating is not all that you can do to support. Building this hub will take collective effort. There are several ways individuals and organisations can support the project:
Spread the word – Sharing the campaign with friends, colleagues and networks helps reach new supporters.
Offer rewards – Local businesses can donate prizes or experiences for supporters, gaining recognition while helping the project grow.
Fundraise – Schools, community groups and individuals can organise sponsored activities to support the campaign.
