It was 2016 when Joe Lockley began providing regular boxing sessions for local young people in Cosford. Two years later, with the support of his fellow director Kat Stanworth, Joe moved the coaching sessions into an industrial warehouse in nearby Shifnal – and a safe haven was born.

Almost 10 years later, Brightstar Boxing Academy has provided a blueprint for how sport can transform the lives of young people facing some of modern society’s most complex challenges. Its founder and Kat are now on a mission to help more local organisations across the regions flourish in a similar fashion.

“It is about utilising sport as a completely different approach,” explains Joe. “It is all about using sport to help young people meet their needs, and so they feel like they belong.

“It’s about helping t

See Full Page