00:00My name is Ronnie Tooker, I run the Aspire Boxing Club. I've been with the Aspire Boxing Club now for 34 years.
00:06We're currently here at the UIS gym, working closely with Mark who used to box with me as well.
00:14You've probably seen the stories that we lost our gym and Mark very kindly took us down here.
00:19So we're working jointly down here now to continue doing what we've always done.
00:23It's helpful to the community because when you've got young people in this gym,
00:28they could be involved in such behaviour, they could be involved in knife crime,
00:30they're here, they become members of this gym, they're working together, they're going home at night,
00:36they're going to school, they're not getting excluded.
00:38Because when you look at the triggers for young people getting involved in gangs and criminal exploitation and knife crime,
00:43exclusion, no mentors, where are you showing kids who are in school?
00:47Where are you showing them who are mentors for young people?
00:50We've always been a free society for young people because the barriers for young people in sport are huge.
00:57So we've seen the benefits it's done over the years, we've seen young people turn around.
01:01But like I mentioned earlier, it's important to note that not everybody who walks through a boxing gym
01:06is someone who wants to be in trouble.
01:08Some people walk through the boxing gym, they're doctors, nurses, solicitors, dentists.
01:12So not everybody who walks through the boxing gym wants to be in trouble.
01:15But the beauty with boxing gyms is all those people, people from counselling stays, people from posture stays,
01:20people from dentists, social workers, they all come to one place and in this place they're just boxers.
01:26For me, the important thing with this game, working with people and working with people to stop them getting involved in knives and gangs
01:33is working with people and working with services.
01:37Slaves and services.
01:39We don't get into slaves and services, we don't get into saying people should be doing it better.
01:42What we do is say, come on, we'll work with you and at the end of the day, let's work together.
01:50I did say one of my favourites in this city is Kate Joseph.
01:55And I do hate Kate Joseph a little bit because she does a fantastic job.
01:59I think she comes to see what we do, she's been to our presentations, she's been to our conferences,
02:06she's been to the gym to see what kids can do.
02:10Thanks to the council for the work they've done with us.
02:12Let's continue working together.
02:14What I want to say to other groups, other community groups, is stop slating on services.
02:20Stop scaremongering to make it look like Sheffield's a terrible place.
02:26We have an issue, like I said before.
02:28One kid carries a knife, one kid too many.
02:30One kid gets an amputate, one kid too many.
02:32But, you know, let's work together.
02:34It's not about me, it's not about other groups, it's about young people.
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