Young people from Watford enrolled in a programme that teaches them to focus their aggression through sport and healthy living will receive awards for their progress on Wednesday.

Box Cleva has been running out of Leavesden Green Community Centre in north Watford since last year.

The charity was set up by Bob Williams, Watch Commander for the Herts Fire and Rescue Service and launched in Watford with the help of the Safer Watford Partnership.

Mr Williams said: "We work on statistics a lot in life now. The personal testimonies of the parents are the biggest endorsement of this fantastic scheme. We are getting kids back into school and educating them. Their behaviour improves – their parents tell us they are no longer angry."

Mr Williams is a professional boxing referee and was previously a competitor in the sport himself, taking part in 75 amateur and – between 1986 and 1994 – 33 professional fights.

At one stage, he was in the top 10 of UK boxers in the light welterweight category.

Mr Williams continued: "Box Cleva is great. I love it. Boxing put me in a good position in life and I wanted to give something back to the sport. We are bringing along hundreds of kids each week. It’s outstanding."

Box Cleva participants receive bronze awards after six months in the programme, followed by silver for 12 months, gold for 18, platinum for 24 and diamond for 30.

They will be handed out for the Watford group on Wednesday, June 17.

Mr Williams said: "There are no losers in Box Cleva. The awards are for everybody. These kids have increased in confidence, self-esteem and learned respect, discipline, healthy eating and substance awareness."

Elected Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill added: "It is schemes like this and the dedication of individuals like Mr Williams that divert our young people away from crime and teach them important life skills. It’s fantastic that the Safer Watford Partnership can help contribute to this programme and make a difference in our town."