Westfield Cardenden Community Fund delivers powerful punch in first funding round of 2025
The Bowhill Miners Boxing Club in Fife has received funding from the Nadara Westfield Wind Farm Community Fund to continue the delivery of its free boxing programme to young people in the local community.
Established in 2022, the Bowhill Miners Boxing Club provides boxing classes to adults and young people in the village of Cardenden. It also runs a "Teens off the Street" programme, offering free training sessions five evenings a week for youth under the age of 18.
The program emphasises skill development and progression while providing no-cost sports opportunities, particularly targeting young people affected by poverty. A core aim of the initiative is to reduce anti-social behaviour by fostering community connections. To continue this important programme, the club applied for £2,000 to purchase boxing equipment, gloves, and head guards.
Awards from the Westfield Community fund are decided on by a panel of volunteers, who bring local expertise and focus to ensure that grants are directly addressing community needs. The Panel felt this project strongly aligned with the Fund's priorities, which include enhancing the quality of life for local residents, contributing to vibrant, healthy, successful and sustainable communities, and promoting community spirit and encouraging community activity.
The application was so compelling that the Panel agreed to not only award the requested amount, but also to award an additional £500 for a total grant of £2,500. The Panel members particularly valued the project's community impact, recognising that young people in the area have access to few activities and are often affected by antisocial behaviour.
Craig Abbot, Bowhill Miners Boxing Club founder said:
The funding provided will enable us to purchase equipment for those who cannot afford it, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to train with us regardless of financial circumstances. Our club plays a vital role in keeping young people active and off the streets. Teenagers have access to our gym five nights a week to train and box, providing them with a safe environment to focus, learn new skills, develop both physically and mentally, make new friends and build community cohesion. We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community regarding improvements in the young people's behaviour, which has had a beneficial impact on their school performance, family relationships, and the wider community. Thanks to the Westfield Cardenden Fund, our free program can continue to serve Cardenden and its residents. We deeply appreciate this investment in our community's future and the opportunities it creates for our young people.
These locally decided grants demonstrate the importance of the decision makers local knowledge and insight which can only come from lived experience within the village.
Through partnerships like these between local organisations and community funds, Cardenden continues to build a stronger, more resilient future for its youngest residents while addressing the challenges faced by rural communities.
Read more about the Nadara Westfield Cardenden Community Fund