I'm raising £500 for our club members who lost their boxing gloves, boots and kit in the Redhouse Club Fire following a deliberate act of arson against our new club

The Legion Boxing club was set up after the Hylton Castle and Town End Farm Boys Club suddenly closed its doors in 2018 leaving Frank Bagley the head boxing coach with over 100 children and their families without a local club.

We battled to stay in the area but with no support from the council we moved to Boldon Colliery where a local business man and woman gave us the derelict Legion workman’s club for a few year. Check out the facebook page to see this amazing transformation. The kids Frankie and me his wife and a local tradesmen worked hard to make an amazing space with the help of local people and funders to transform the space

As this was only temporary we continued to fight to get back to Sunderland where we belong. Then in April this year a local business man gave us a long lease on the Redhouse Workman’s club but it needed a lot of work having previously been destroyed with an illegal cannabis farm. It has been a place for antisocial behaviour due to its many years of closure

We set up The Redhouse Boys and Girls Club in April 2025 in keeping with the area and proud to be back in Sunderland.

Frankie the head coach, myself and Paul and other trustees, the youth committee and young members and their families and some locals in the community worked long days to empty the club and renovate the upstairs to be ready for the boxing season starting in September. With further plans to develop a community cafe and space downstairs for table tennis and pool and other youth activities.

Last night after 12 hours scraping walls and repairing the floor me and Frankie celebrated our progress covered in dust looking like we had left the pit by slow dancing to a Lionel Ritchie classic. Frankie joking it was the last dance in the Redhouse club. But we were so happy.

Unaware of what was about to happen we left at 9pm. We had not long gone to sleep when we got a phone call at 3am to say the club was on fire. On arrival. The flat attached to the club was a blaze and we watched all night while they battled the fire for 9 hours.

Due to the firefighters needing to enter our side of the building to fight the fire as it’s spread to the lower floor. The water and smoke damage left in the club is catastrophic. Even more devastating we had only just moved all the boxing equipment over, ready to be set up next week. This also included all of the kids boxing bags with their boots, gloves and kit in.

Everything has been damaged beyond repair. From the ring donated by the Chloe and Liam trust worth £9000 to everything you need to run a boxing club. It took frank 8 year to purchase and accumulate all of his equipment.

Frankie has given up every night and most weekends for these kids for 8 year without a payment. Through some serious ill health having suffered sepsis 14 times in this period. Only charging a £2 donation if afforded so all the kids can attend no matter their financial circumstance. He’s travelled around other clubs every week to help them develop. He’s travelled across the country and abroad often at his own expense to bouts and national competitions. All to help give these kids a better start in life. It changed his life so he’s dedicated his life to change other people/ children’s lives with his passion for the sport of boxing

As well as studying for his level 3 coaching and coach educator. Always improving himself. He has been nominated for a make the difference award on the 14th of September for the work he does by the BBC. A lot of people have no idea Frankie is highly educated and his work with Newcastle university has been published around the world in Naval architecture and he is highly respected in his field, he could make life changing money in his profession but he left his profession to dedicate his time to help others instead. He truly is an amazing man He goes above and beyond a coaches role.

He has lost the gym equipment he spent 8 year buying. All of his power tools that were in the club. And is now facing a huge battle to rebuild the club for the kids.

But all he is concerned about is replacing the kids bags with their boxing gloves and boots in so they can get straight back to boxing

Please help him help the kids by donating what ever you can. If you can’t donate financially but can donate raffle prizes or can run football cards at work or donate your time for the big clean up. Please contact us on the current Facebook page The Legion Boxing Club . Any help at this devastating time would be most appreciated 🙏🏻🥊🥊🥊