A boxing gym in South Oxhey is just a few days away from re-opening its doors after undergoing a major renovation.

A year ago South Oxhey Amateur Boxing Club was fighting for a £1,000 grant from Three Rivers District Council for a few sets of gloves and punch bags.

Since that meeting in February, when former councillor Francis Durham said the council should not fund “individuals knocking the hell out of each other”, the club has received tens of thousands of pounds in funding.

Now, little more than a year later, members of the Hallowes Crescent gym are just a few days away from revealing a £20,000 renovation project, including an extension, a set of new punch bags and training machines.

Trainer John Sheppard, who has boxed since he was eight years old, said: “Before all this work the club was just a corridor really, with a few dodgy old bags and a bad smell.

“A woman turned up one day and told us she could get us some money. She printed off a letter, got us to sign it and then came back with a cheque for £20,000. She was an angel, it was unbelievable.

“There are just a couple of little tidying-up jobs and then it should be done by next week.”

The club was given the £20,000 from the county council's Youth Opportunity Fund, known locally as The Big Spend, which provides money to youth clubs in Hertfordshire.

As well as money from Watford Rural Parish Council, and £700 from the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, the club will receive a cheque from district councillor Ron Spellen at the end of his chairman's year.

Councillor Spellen said he chose the club as one of his chairman's charities to commend the positve influence the trainers have on young men from the estate.

Paul Groves, trainer, said: “The money has opened up new doors for us, it's also put us in a funding circle where people just keep throwing money at us.”

The extension has doubled the size of the club's old building in Hallowes Crescent, opening up plenty of room for treadmills donated by Northwood HQ, as well as new ring, showers, and punch bags.

Chairman Mick Courtney and his son completed the building work, and electrician Paul Francis wired up the new lights and heating system for free.

One of the club's most mentioned success stories is 20-year-old Reece Bellotti, a former “trouble maker” whose focus and dedication have made him one of the country's top ten boxers.

Speaking to the Watford Observer last year, Mr Bellotti said: “I liked a drink and was a bit of a trouble maker. I never thought I would still be coming here after all this time but the club has been great for me.

"My mum didn’t want me to come but it’s stopped me from getting into trouble. It’s great for fitness and I’ve made a lot of friends from it.”

Mr Bellotti will soon fight in the Senior Amateur Boxing Association quarter finals, the biggest boxing contest in the country.

Mr Sheppard, a firefighter, added: “England are looking at him, he's in the top ten in the country. He can't afford to hang around the shops and misbehave, he's got to watch his weight and make sure he trains properly."

Looking towards the future, the club is using a further £2,700 grant from Watford Rural Parish Council, to take boxing lessons outside of the sparkling new gym and into local schools.

South Oxhey Amateur Boxing Club is open Monday to Friday, 7-9pm, and takes boxers from 10 to 35-years-old.