Gloucestershire Gym's Boxing Ring Condemned After Years of Use

The boxing ring at a small Gloucestershire gym has been condemned as “diabolical” and unsafe after years of flooding, repairs and relentless community use, leaving young fighters’ progress on hold.

Forest Fighting Fit in Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, now faces a £3,500 bill to replace the ageing structure, which head coach Michelle Gardiner says has finally reached the end of the road after more than a decade of patchwork fixes.

A ring at the end of its life

Gardiner paints a stark picture of the current setup. The posts stand bare, with no padding. The boards underfoot wobble. The ropes refuse to stay tight for long. For a gym that caters to everyone from four-year-olds to a 69-year-old member, that’s no longer a risk they are prepared to take.

Storm Bert, which hit the Forest of Dean in November 2024, delivered the latest and perhaps decisive blow. The gym has suffered two flooding incidents, both around the ring. Although the structure is elevated, damp has crept in and taken its toll.

After years of “repairs, patches, and heavy community use”, Gardiner accepts the verdict: the ring is done.

Talent stalled on the ropes

For some of the gym’s brightest young talents, the consequences are immediate and brutal.

Emma Morgan’s 10-year-old daughter, Lily, has risen from a shy four-year-old clinging to her mother’s leg to a World Kickboxing Organisation world champion. She has competed on national and international stages, taken part in two Grand Prix events and the European, and now regularly performs in front of thousands.

Yet back home, the lack of a safe ring means children like her are stuck in a holding pattern. Morgan, who is also a trustee of the gym, says the missing piece of equipment is blocking the natural pathway from kickboxing into boxing.

Without proper ring work, that next step simply cannot happen.

Confidence, community, and a crucial upgrade

The gym recently achieved charity status and prides itself on its reach across ages and abilities. Sessions draw in children as young as four and adults approaching 70. Many arrive lacking confidence, some battling anxiety, others searching for structure or a sense of belonging.

For Morgan, the value of a new ring goes well beyond the ropes and canvas.

“It would bring their confidence up; it’s all about confidence,” she says. The ring isn’t just a stage for competition. It is a focal point, a place where the “really good team atmosphere” gathers and grows.

The planned replacement would also allow Forest Fighting Fit to expand its programmes, open up more tailored sessions for different ages and abilities, and improve safety and accessibility for disabled participants.

Fighting for funding

Grant applications have so far led nowhere. Gardiner and the team “had no luck” securing formal funding, so they have turned to the community they serve.

A crowdfunder is now in place, and local firm Suntory Beverage and Food in Coleford has stepped in to match all donations, effectively doubling every pound given.

For a small gym in the Forest of Dean, that backing offers a lifeline. The old ring is finished. The question now is whether the community can help build the new stage this next generation of fighters needs.