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Wednesday 24 Jul 2013

Amateur boxing to help spread railway safety message in London

Region & Route:

| Southern

Network Rail is teaming up with the London Amateur Boxing Association to educate youngsters across the capital about railway safety.

The partnership will combine sport, recreation and fitness with information about staying safe on the tracks and the importance of never taking chances on the railway.

Over the next 12 months more than 800 young people will take part in Network Rail and London Amateur Boxing events as the partnership visits schools across the city.

To mark the launch of the partnership, a boxing ring will be set up in Victoria station this Thursday (25 July) and school children and boxing clubs from across London will spar and train with London ABA and learn about rail safety from Network Rail.

Tim Robinson, Network Rail’s route managing director, will be joined by Keith Walters OBE, honorary secretary of the London ABA at the launch which starts at 10.30am.

They will be joined by George Groves, the reigning Commonwealth super middleweight title holder, who will challenge for the world title later this year.

Commenting on the project, Tim Robinson said: “This is an exciting partnership which will help educate more than 800 young people across London about how to stay safe on the railway while improving their health, fitness and discipline through the art of boxing.

“The railway runs through every London borough and plays a vital part in keeping the city moving. It carries millions of passengers every year and impacts on hundreds of thousands of people, whether through stations, level crossings or living alongside it. Working with the London Amateur Boxing Association means we are able to raise awareness of the railway and spread the message about how to stay safe to hundreds of youngsters across the capital.”

Keith Walters OBE added: “London amateur boxing is proud to be able to deliver this unique offer of non contact boxing and railway safety awareness to young people throughout the capital.

Our sport is built around the safety and welfare of all participants so it is therefore appropriate that our joint message with Network Rail is to stay safe around stations and tracks.

“London amateur boxing is confident, with Network Rail’s assistance, that we will train railway safety into a broad sweep of young Londoners, helping them to stay safe and avoid danger through the medium of enjoying participating in sport.”

London ABA was established over 120 years ago and works across London with children and young people from a range of backgrounds.

Each young person who takes part in the Network Rail and London ABA scheme will be given a workbook - written by boxing coach Q Shillingford who was recently named amateur boxing community coach of the year – which includes boxing information as well as vital safety messages which will help them stay safe on the railway.

Network Rail’s partnership with London ABA is initially for 12 months with the ambition to extend the relationship if possible.