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Wednesday 8th February : Issue 11 : EVERY THURSDAY : some pages updated daily

show the world who you 'truely' are

Green Borders sent its reporter to a boxing club called “Box 4 Life”. The club endorses non-contact boxing within a happy and friendly environment.

Upon arrival, I was pleased to see both girls and boys, aged from 8 years upwards, working out at the club, and all seemed happy to be there. The club welcomes everyone and aims to exclude no one. It aims to provide training, exercise and a fitness programme, inviting guests speakers to promote nutritious eating and a healthy life style.

The club also emphasises the importance of earning and giving respect, not only to your sparring partner but to everyone you meet. Borne out of gang incidents in the area, volunteers, Mark Rule and Peter Sandy are sincere in their desire to do something for the youth of the area. Their intention is to create the atmosphere of the extended family, with respect at its core, and with emphasis on behaviour and with the aim of helping each other in a fun and friendly way. Working closely with the police and other agencies, they are targeting the younger generation and want to involve them before they get anywhere near the gangs. In this way they are reaching out to the siblings of gang members and offering them a different alternative.

Box for Life is a project of SLADA (South Leytonstone Area Development Association) and is partly financed by the Home Office through the Communities Against Gangs, Guns and Knives Fund.

I noticed that the children listened attentively to their ABA qualified coaches and volunteers, and were focused on the task in hand and happy to be there after school on a Tuesday evening between 6.30 and 8.15 pm. Box 4 Life have specifically made it affordable for those to attend, being £2.00 per session. Check it out at www.Box4life.org.uk

Mark Rule & Peter Sandy talk about Box 4 Life

there's no place like home

Green Borders sent its reporter to Kemble Hall, in Tottenham, at St Mary’s. This forms part of the Haringey Winter Shelter for homeless people which meets once a week during the winter months.

I was invited to join them for supper. It was a cold night outside, but the warmth inside generated both from the meal itself and the army of volunteers more than compensated. I got speaking to various of the homeless people, who were unanimous in their gratitude to the Haringey Winter Shelter, and in particular Lia Leonis, for helping them in their plight and equally determined that their stay be a short one.

One such homeless person that I spoke to suggested that the topic of homelessness was not portrayed favourably in the media, and that there was not enough input from the government or politicians alike. He said that schemes like Haringey’s Winter Shelter had helped him change his life and he had gained good friends and respect from his experiences.

Lia Leonis points out that homelessness is a significant problem in London, and one that is neither immediately apparent nor obvious. At the same time, it can affect anyone; a homeless person is someone’s mother, father or child. The aim of the shelter is to meet the needs of such people and to put a structure together that is safe for volunteers to come into and be a part of. She wants to make a difference in the lives of homeless people and to help them break the cycle of homelessness. It has to be done by the community pulling together and showing a level of commitment. In this they can be proud of their achievements.

Since its opening on 11th December last year twelve people have visited them and each have moved onto some sort of accommodation. Lia’s passion to help people move on to find some sort of accommodation can be matched by the obvious gratitude and appreciation felt by those who have experienced the shelter’s benefits and also by those volunteers who work there. In the words of one homeless person, it has provided an extended breathing space.

For more information visit www.allpeopleallplaces.org

Lia Leonis speaks at Kemble hall, London N15 about homelessness. Apologies for the abrupt finish to the video clip

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