Jeff Moses is Barrow Amateur Boxing Club’s coach.
It had been the best part of ten years since Jeff helped me out with a photography project by giving me access to the boxing club and I had promised myself that I would give him a couple of prints as a thank you.
In the Autumn of 2021 I finally caught up with him.
We met up on Walney Island where Jeff was working that day and we chatted about what each of us was up to. Jeff enthusiastically shared news about a new boxing project he was about to start. He invited me to come along ‘and bring your camera’.
So the following week I went along and was honoured to witness the beginning of something very special indeed.
This project and resulting book is the result of what I saw and experienced over the ensuing 18 months. The overriding theme which I witnessed again and again was that of ‘selflessness’.
“selflessness”
‘The quality of caring more about what other people need and want than about what you yourself need and want.’
YouthAbility Youth Service aims to “to empower and support young people and young adults to improve their opportunities in life and assist their social and emotional development in their transition to adulthood.”
Barrow Amateur Boxing Club was formed in 1961 and continues to provide facilites, coaching and support to amateur boxers of all ages.
In 2021 these two organisations created ‘Boxability’
Les McCleese who created and runs the YouthAbility charity explains :
“We have taken part in many partnership projects over the past 19 years but the Boxability project must be the most rewarding and successful to date. The project is unique to the area and demonstrates that any sport can be adapted to include all. The project’s main aim was to tackle mental health and integrate young people back into society after Covid. It has achieved this and much more. Young people that are not even interested in sport attend every week. We have seen the confidence and mental health of all participants improve dramatically. Working together with YouthAbility and BABC has also opened up other avenues for our young people, may it be taking part in community events or sign posting to other services.”
“YouthAbility is run mainly with volunteers with the support of a couple of experienced paid staff. These volunteers are mainly made up of parents that also have children with disabilities. Some work full time and are a full time carer for their children but always go out of the way to give up free time to support YouthAbility. Without these volunteers and staff there would be no YouthAbility or Boxability. They are the heart of the service.”
So for the best part of two years I kept in touch with Jeff and Les and their teams - visiting the gym and youth centre getting to know the members and having the privilege of taking their photos as they enthusiastically learnt the rudiments of boxing.
I offerred to create a photo book to celebrate the selfless work that I saw every time I paid a visit. The resulting book includes portraits of the members as well as the staff alongside their own thoughts about YouthAbility, Boxability and Barrow Amateur Boxing Club. There are also photographs of boxing events where the members demonstrated their skills in the ring.
Below are some images and text from the book.
YouthAbility Youth Services is based at Walney Community Centre on Walney Island.
Barrow Amateur Boxing Club is at Brook Street, Barrow in Furness.
Bradley B
“YouthAbility helps Bradley socialise as he is quite shy, joining in with group work and attending the various clubs allows him to build relationships that he would not have had the opportunity to do.”
“The boxing staff are amazing. They help the guys to look past their disabilities and look at their ability. Their ability to do anything they put their mind to.“
“I would be outraged if YouthAbility stopped. It is one of the very few clubs for people with additional needs.”
“I am very thankful for everything they do .”
Leah B - sister.
Daniel C
“I love coming as I like annoying people!”
“Staff are ok! Lol!”
Tuesday nights are Boxability nights.
Every Tuesday evening the YouthAbility members make their way to the BABC gym with their parents, carers and YouthAbility staff. The BABC team led by Jeff coach them in the rudiments of boxing using punch bags, pad work and sessions in the ring. Fitness training and a tug of war always play a part too.
The emphasis is on inclusion, independence, confidence building and enjoyment.
Jamie W
“ The best thing about YouthAbility is that they are always doing things and are great with members.”
“I love Boxability as it is good exercise and everyone is friendly and caring.”
Daniel G
“Coming to Boxability gets me out of the house and helps keep me active and having a chat with different people is good.”
“The staff are brilliant.”
Jemma Y
“I like attending the boxing sessions because it helps with different parts of my autism and I like seeing the improvement I’ve made week on week.”
“The staff at YouthAbility make me feel safe and reassured.””
Georgia T
Caitlin B
“I like showing people with disabilities that they can do boxing no matter what.”
“If Boxability stopped my life would be a lot different.”
Jack B
“YouthAbility is fun, I enjoy the music and dancing and they make me feel like I am a member of the team and included.”
“The Boxing team are fantastic and so patient.”
“ If YouthAbility ever ended I I would feel sad and so disappointed.”
“I want to say thank you to them.”
Kye S
Josh B
The following portraits were made at the Walney Community Centre during one of the weekly YouthAbility evenings.
“They make us feel welcome and safe and they all understand me.”
Chris B
“The staff are awesome, friendly and understanding.”
Jess B
In YouthAbility, we find delight,
A world of wonder, full of light.
With every step, we dance with glee,
And chase our dreams, wild and free.
The sun shines bright, the breeze is light,
And everything is just right.
We laugh and play, without a care,
And fill our lives with joy and flair.
The world is ours, to explore and claim,
And we do it all with grace and fame.
So let us embrace this time of life,
And make the most of every strife.
For YouthAbility is fun, you see,
And we are young, and wild, and free.
So let us cherish every moment we share,
And make our youthability last forevermore.
Lauren E
In early 2023 after a year of Boxability, the confidence of some of the members was such that they were able to demonstrate their skills in front of an audience at two premier boxing events - BABC’s annual charity boxing event at The Nines in Barrow and the Freemasons’ Boxing event at the Cumbria Grand Hotel in Grange. Both events were sell outs and prior to the start of the event proper the audience was treated to a display of pad work in the ring by some of the YouthAbility members.
Without doubt they got the best cheers of the night.
Most photography doesn’t matter. It is simply a record. Often a very pretty record but a record nevertheless. This photography project and book is my attempt to create something that matters. Whether I have been successful or not will be decided by the viewer and not myself. However regardless of that judgement I am indebted to Jeff and Les and everyone that I photographed for allowing me into their very special world. It was very humbling and very inspiring.
