A boxing gym which helps children at risk of re-offending could be permanently closed.
Wokingham Borough Council has warned that BXGFit in Peach Place is ‘not financially viable’ and could save the authority nearly £200,000 a year if let out for alternative use.
First opened in 2021, the boxing hub was part of the council’s wider strategy to boost leisure facilities available to residents across the borough.
It currently offers boxercise classes for adults and teenagers and delivers the council’s Youth Justice Programme – but could be let to a commercial provider in the coming months.
This programme supports children under 17 years old who are at risk of becoming involved or are involved in offending behaviour.
If the site closes, the programme will be delivered across five other leisure centres in the area, which the council says will reach a ‘larger number of youths within our community’.
It consists of a 12-week programme targeted at young people ‘to boost participation in regular physical activities, build healthy social connections and support their socio-emotional wellbeing’.
The council now says that due to budget constraints and a low use of the facility, it may close the gym down.
Council leaders, comprised of the executive, will decide whether to close the facility at an upcoming meeting on Thursday, October 31.
An executive report published ahead of the meeting says that it could save the council nearly £200,000 a year.
There are currently 156 members of the gym, which is ‘not as high as anticipated’, and is not covering the cost of operations.
While it was managed by Wokingham Borough Council directly since opening, it has been under a trial period of new management under Places Leisure since October 2023, to see whether this could boost membership.
Work was done over this period to see whether more could be brought to the gym, including a karate club.
Whether the space could also be used by council services, including Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, was also considered.
All of what is currently offered at the hub will be replaced at other locations, including the Wokingham Leisure Centre which is less than ten minutes away.
Classes including boxercise will transfer to nearby Wokingham Leisure Centre at Carnival Hub within a week of closure.
A decision will be taken by Wokingham Borough Council’s executive on Thursday, October 31.
If it closes, all members of the boxing club will be informed and have their memberships transferred to another site.
