Right now, around 40% of the club’s income goes on rent.

That is a huge proportion of money leaving the Charity every month simply to keep a roof over our heads. While renting has allowed the club to survive and grow to this point, it has also limited what we can confidently build for the future.

Owning the building changes that completely. Instead of continually spending on temporary use of space, we would be investing into a permanent long term asset for the club and the Bath community. It removes the constant uncertainty that comes with renting and empowers Roman Boxing to move from surviving to genuinely developing. 

Ownership creates stability. Consistency is fundamental when working with young people and vulnerable adults. The gym is more than somewhere to exercise. It provides routine, structure, positive relationships and role models, and a safe constructive environment to spend time in. People need to know that when they arrive at the gym, the doors will be open.

In previous shared venues, short notice cancellations and interruptions forced us to cancel sessions unexpectedly. Those disruptions have real consequences.

One member shared how, during the winter months, they arrived at the gym on a cold, wet evening only to discover training had been cancelled because another activity had taken priority in the shared space. That interruption broke an important routine at a difficult time in their life. They later explained that it became easier not to attend because they worried the gym “might be closed when I get there.” After several months away, they eventually returned, apologising because they felt they had somehow let the club down. The reality was the opposite: we had let them down by not being there when they needed us.

They showed tremendous courage returning after feeling disconnected for so long, but undoubtedly others in similar situations never came back at all. Owning our building removes that uncertainty.

Members can now rely on the gym being consistently available, providing the dependable environment that helps people maintain positive habits, routines and relationships over the long term. This stability is equally important when working with outside organisations and vulnerable groups. Parents need certainty that when their children arrive at training, the club will be open and supervised. Organisations supporting vulnerable people need confidence that activities will run safely and reliably. Exclusive use of the building also allows us to directly control who is present within the space, creating a safer and more appropriate environment for everyone involved.

With long term security, we can fully commit to partnerships and initiatives that have previously been difficult or impossible to guarantee. We have already delivered well received fitness and introductory non-contact boxing activities with organisations including Mind and Curo. A recent women’s boxing programme run with Mind generated particularly strong interest compared to other newly introduced activities they had organised. Several who participated joined Roman Boxing during the programme and continue to train with us today. These are exactly the kinds of initiatives we want to make permanent and expand significantly. 

We have also worked with the Bath HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme for a number of years, supporting children and young people during school holidays. So far, we have provided 135 young people entitled to free school meals with high quality coached physical fitness, life skills development and healthy food during school holidays. Bellotts Road will allow us to expand this holiday provision substantially, and we are now beginning to develop term time after school activities, something that simply was not possible in previous shared venues.

With ownership, these become sustainable long term programmes that local people can depend on. Without stability, these opportunities will disappear.

The building also dramatically increases what we can physically deliver each week. The space has capacity for additional evening classes running in parallel to existing sessions, plus exclusive use allows for additional weekend classes, and the possibility for new daytime sessions and activities. This creates opportunities for mentoring, youth activities, school partnerships, fitness programmes and wider community engagement. We are already in early discussions with local schools and police, conversations that become much more meaningful when we can demonstrate long term stability and a permanent base.

The benefits extend to volunteers as well. Everyone involved in Roman Boxing gives their time freely alongside jobs, families and other responsibilities because they genuinely care about coaching and supporting people through boxing. No one volunteers because they are passionate about moving heavy equipment around. In previous shared spaces, huge amounts of volunteer energy went into repeatedly setting up, dismantling and relocating equipment instead of focusing on members. Exclusive use of the building removes that burden entirely and allows coaches to spend their time where it matters most: delivering quality sessions and supporting people.

Financially, ownership also protects what makes the club accessible. Roman Boxing has always worked hard to keep participation costs low so money is not a barrier to involvement. Since opening in 2018, our prices have never increased despite inflation and significant increases in the cost of living. We charge a £20 annual registration, then £2.50 per one hour session for under 15s and £5 for ages 15 and over. We provide all the equipment needed to get started, participants only need simple gym clothes.

A permanent home also allows the club to invest in facilities far more efficiently. Temporary and shared venues required purchasing specialist equipment at significantly increased cost that could be installed without permanent fixing, folded away, and moved. Our mobile boxing ring cost over five times more than our semi-fixed ring and more than ten times the cost of our latest ring which simply bolts to the floor. Similar differences exist across many areas of gym equipment, and resources such as heavy bags were simply not possible to accommodate. Ownership allows future investment to be directed towards programmes, coaching and opportunities for all members and the wider community rather than paying a premium for temporary solutions.

Eliminating reliance on rent gives us the best possible chance of keeping training affordable for years to come without compromising on expanding opportunities such as competition access, coach development and equipment purchases. This is why ownership matters so much, as it creates permanence, reliability and many opportunities. It allows Roman Boxing to stop thinking from one temporary arrangement to the next and instead begin building the kind of long term programmes, partnerships and community impact seen in many of the established England Boxing clubs that have served their communities successfully for generations.

Across the country, boxing clubs have shown what becomes possible when dedicated volunteers have the security and facilities needed to grow. Research by Sheffield Hallam University and England Boxing highlighted how clubs have become trusted community spaces, supporting people through positive relationships, discipline, improved wellbeing and a sense of belonging. Organisations such as Empire Fighting Chance and many other community boxing clubs demonstrate how the sport can successfully support young people, improve mental health, build confidence and create opportunities far beyond the boxing ring.

Roman Boxing is not asking for faith to launch an untested idea. We are securing the future of a club that is already established, already delivering, and already changing lives. Ownership gives us the stability to protect what has been built, expand our work with local partners, and ensure Bath benefits from a community boxing club for centuries.