A Leeds area swamped with gang drug related violence has a pair of mates on a mission to save kids growing up there from a life of crime.
Curtis Campbell, 33, and Reece Cartwright, 28, want the youths of Burmantofts and the surrounding areas to join their gang instead. They’ve formed ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’, aka BST, a boxing and fitness club.
The old training partners are from the area and have become “addicted” to showing kids they can achieve better things than growing up in a gang. Burmantofts was subject to heightened stop-and-search powers last week after a man was chased through there by another wielding a machete, which is believed to have been retaliation between gangs.
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The pair opened the BST boxing gym in Torre Road in the beginning of June, after successfully recruiting youths throughout the pandemic in local parks. They work as personal trainers but running BST has become their ultimate passion.
Curtis, father-of-three girls, said: “People ask us, ‘how do you get kids to leave a gang?’ You don’t, we just get them to join another one – that’s us, which is more positive.
"We chant ‘BST! Blood Sweat and Tears!’ Like other gangs who chant whatever their names are.”
Reece, a father of one and professional boxer, who’s won multiple belts, spoke of how beneficial the time and space is.
He said: “There were youths involved with stabbings, gang related crimes and all sorts of mad-mad crimes. They started coming down here regularly and made a regular thing of it, coming to the classes.
“One lad we kept clean and made sure he wasn’t smoking drugs, drinking or causing crimes. He was a good kid for about six months. Then the street grabbed back hold of him and he got back with gangs.
“It’s tragic but it just shows what we can do when we’ve got the time. We’ve had loads of kids who’ve got to their feet and got out of crime. There’s one lad who’s going to a good college now and doing well, and there’s some looking at apprenticeships and stuff like that.”
When Covid rules allowed in 2020, they began arranging times in parks when they could do sessions. They’d charge a minimal fee and many instances wouldn’t take a payment from kids who wanted to join in. Many of them started bringing their friends and the numbers kept on growing.
Curtis said: “In the process of us getting back into boxing and we brought other people along, we noticed kids were interested in what we were doing so it kind of got addictive [to sign more up]. Mums would phone us and say, ‘Do you mind if he [my kid] comes down?’ And we’d say ‘Of course’.
“Then they’d ring us again and say ‘He’s been messing about at school today, can you have a word?’ We kind of adopted that role.”
Having to work out in the parks would put their schedule at the mercy of the weather, however – plus the inconsistent location often resulted in kids ceasing to attend. BST has had its own space since the beginning of June, and it’s been very beneficial, plus the pair have had some kind benefactors who’ve donated to their cause.
Curtis said: “I don’t feel nervous round here, as I’m personally here to put a lid on that [crime]. Everyone has a right to feel scared but you need people like me and Reece who are young enough, come from the same background who are more relatable – rather than someone who’ll come in hard.”
They’ve recently upped their price to £5 a session to cover overheads, they were previously charging £2.50 but couldn’t prices that low. The pair endeavour to continue and fight for the name of BST.
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