Yes, we know this building works because we are already using it! This is not an empty building with uncertain plans or expensive future development costs. Thanks to an enormous volunteer effort, the premises has already been transformed into a fully functioning boxing gym and has been operating as the home of Roman Boxing since April 2026.

Over 1,000 hours of volunteer labour went into converting the former engineering works into the facility we use today. Members, coaches and supporters gave their free time to clean and prepare the space for training. The people who now train and coach here were directly involved in helping create it, which has resulted in a genuine sense of ownership and pride.

The building offers enough space to train our largest groups, using all our existing kit and equipment. The layout lends itself to parallel training classes, maximising our training time. Both of these attributes address a major issue we’ve had in the past, where we’ve been forced to turn people away when our popular evening training classes filled up. Beginners and experienced boxers can now train at the same time in separate groups. Previously these sessions had to take place on different evenings because of space restrictions. Now we can work towards running structured sessions across five evenings each week, significantly expanding what the club can offer to the community. This creates more flexibility for when members train, smoother progression between ability levels and strong links between new and experienced members.

The building improves the experience for our coaches as well. Because we have exclusive use of the premises at all times, equipment can remain permanently set up rather than being assembled and packed away before and after every session. In previous shared spaces, coaches spent lots of time moving heavy equipment instead of focusing on coaching and supporting members. Now they can focus on what they’ve volunteered for and put all their energy directly into training people.

Bellotts Road keeps us rooted in the area of Bath where we know the club has the greatest impact. The surrounding south western wards fall within the lowest 20% nationally according to the English Indices of Deprivation 2025. Many people in these communities have fewer opportunities and less ability to travel across the city to access sport and structured activities. The gym remains within 5 minutes walking distance of our previous Twerton location, maintaining continuity for existing members and keeping the club accessible for local people.

For those travelling from further away, the location also benefits from excellent public transport links via the Lower Bristol Road. With Oldfield Park station on our doorstep, we have new access to competitions further afield, visiting other clubs to participate in their events and training, and collaboration opportunities with organisations across the country.

For the first time, we have a space that allows us to plan confidently for the future. The building creates opportunities to expand activities including women’s boxing, youth programmes, after school sessions, fitness classes, mentoring and wider community work. We are actively seeking out new opportunities for our members, and contacting new organisations to offer our services to. Importantly, we already have what we need to deliver many of these activities. The building as it stands today is suitable for delivering these.

From a financial perspective, purchasing the lease also makes long term sense. The cost of acquiring the building is roughly equivalent to around ten years of rent payments. The difference is that at the end of ten years renting, the club would still face the threat of relocation at any time. Ownership also enables us to make far more cost-effective decisions when investing in equipment. Shared venues necessitated specialist equipment at significantly increased cost that could be installed without permanent fixing, moved and folded away. For example, our mobile boxing ring, designed to be moved on castor wheels, cost over five times more than our semi-fixed ring, and was more than ten times the cost of our latest third ring which simply bolts to the ground. In a secure long-term home, resources are freed up to go towards more diverse equipment, programmes and community activities rather than paying a premium to work around restrictions.

By securing the leasehold, the money invested creates a permanent long term asset for the club and the community, providing security for hundreds of years rather than temporary stability for a few years at a time.