More than Boxing: Why We Back Alpha Boxing Gym in Leadgate

The heavy bags at Alpha Boxing Gym in Leadgate get plenty of use. Some of the gym’s most important work, though, happens away from the ring. It runs classes for children with special educational needs (SEN), works with young people who have been bullied, and uses training to steer teenagers away from knife crime. Boxing brings people through the door. What happens next is why the gym exists.

Built Around One Child, Then Opened to Many

Alpha Boxing is a community interest company led by founder and head coach Andrew Connor, who runs it with a small team. The idea started at home. Andrew found that his young son, Soul, settled through the time they spent training together and came home calmer afterwards. He thought other children might respond the same way.

Getting the doors open was not straightforward. Andrew began with no funding, selling his own equipment to fit out the space. Today the gym is open to all abilities, from first-timers to experienced boxers. Alongside the main classes, it runs dedicated sessions for children with SEN and for young people who are neurodivergent or disabled, many of them free of charge.

The Work that Doesn’t Show Up on a Scoreboard

Ask Andrew about success and he does not talk about medals. One girl came to the gym after being bullied at school, having lost her confidence. Over eight weeks, the coaches built a programme around her. She now comes to every session, helps the younger children, and is a different girl from the one who first walked in.

The gym also runs a programme aimed at steering young people away from knife crime, offering free training to anyone who hands in a knife. The idea is to build a kind of confidence that does not depend on carrying a weapon.

For the children who train there, the reasons are simpler. They talk about making friends, having fun, and feeling stronger than when they arrived.

Recognition Beyond Leadgate

In October 2025, Alpha Boxing featured on BBC Radio Newcastle as part of the station’s Make a Difference: North East series, which highlights people improving lives in their communities. The gym has since been named a finalist in the station’s Make a Difference Awards.

Andrew’s ambition reaches past Consett. He has said he wants to grow the work across County Durham and further, because there are children who need this kind of support in every town. A year on from opening, the gym marked its first anniversary in April 2026 with a community celebration.

Why We’re Backing Them

Better Waste Solutions is proud to sponsor Alpha Boxing Gym, with our name on the team’s kit alongside the gym’s other sponsors. We came across the work Andrew and his team are doing and wanted to help it keep going.

The community impact belongs to Alpha. Our part is a small one: a local business helping another local organisation keep doing what it already does well. If a gym like this is on your doorstep, it is worth getting behind, whether that means asking about a class for a child who might benefit, or finding a way to support the gym as another local business. Alpha Boxing Gym is in Leadgate, near Consett.