A West Belfast boxing club which has been at the heart of the community for 50 years is fundraising to make their club stronger than ever.
Based in Turf Lodge, Holy Trinity Boxing Club has coached, guided and helped thousands of young people from the day they first opened their doors.
And in their milestone year, the tight-knit boxing community is now throwing their weight behind a fundraising effort to further improve the quality of the club.
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Aiming to raise £10,000, the club says when they hit this target, Sport NI will add £5,000 - money which will bring much more than physical benefits for the club.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Holy Trinity founder and head coach Michael Hawkins said: "We have faced many obstacles along the way but Covid-19 came in swinging and packed a punch. For the first time in our history we were forced to close and cancel all group training and coaching. While this was of course necessary to play our part it had major drawbacks.
"We are coming out of it now and we are keen to get back into things. We want to go from strength to strength. We want to put the history of the club down now and continue that legacy for the next 50 years.
"Belfast is steeped in boxing history and it is great to shout about the successes coming out of all of our clubs. Our 2019/20 short season seen Holy Trinity boxers win 129 Gold Medals and 25 Silver Medals at County, Provincial and National level.
"When we closed it was horrible. We were flying then the pandemic hit. This fundraising is about getting back. The kids are back and back in massive numbers. Our youngest members would be nine.
"The week before the closure for Covid, we had an underage evening for under 9s as part of a new project. The young people were queued up Norglen Gardens, it was phenomenal. Unfortunately those 100 children didn't get into the club and with this fundraiser, we can improve our club for the whole community.
"In true Holy Trinity spirit, we won't stop improving our club. Covid, as much as it came in swinging, we aren't going to throw in the towel."
The team of coaches and volunteers at Holy Trinity say they believe that sport contributes massively to their community and that everyone should be given the opportunity to participate.
Appealing to the public, Emma Louise Lowe said any support given will allow them to "work tirelessly to provide the best possible facilities and opportunities for our members"
"This will continue to give them every chance to become successful both as an athlete and a person," she added.
"Everybody in our club are volunteers. Not one person gets paid a penny, they are just so dedicated to the club's ethos and mission. We do have a direct impact to our boxers but we also have an indirect impact on the community that surrounds us.
"There is a whole lot that we do as well as boxing. We want to provide a space to help the physical, mental and emotional strength - not just inside the ring.
"We aren't just celebrating one day of a 50th birthday, we are celebrating every month. We'll be bringing 25 kids every month across Ireland. We also have other competitions to look forward to and this week we want to with our member Clepson Dos Santos the best of luck in the European U22 Championships this week in Croatia.
"This year is the year of celebration for Holy Trinity and we want to celebrate every single person who have ever donned that Holy Trinity vest. Each and every one of them have been central to the success of the club.
"Our supporters and sponsors over the years too, we wouldn't be here today without them. We have to give a special thanks to Sport NI, Belfast City Council and the Mary Peter's Trust."
You can donate and follow Holy Trinity's fundraising efforts through this link.
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