00:00I'm really proud today to be able to present the Lifetime Achievement Award.
00:04This has come from my Mayor's Fund at Lindley Town Council.
00:08This person has been helping young people engage with exercise, build confidence and create a sense of purpose through sport.
00:17And as the only club of this kind in the Forest of Deem, it plays a unique role in offering regular exercise, structure and belonging to its members.
00:28From beginners to professional talent admired across the country.
00:34This person has been at the heart of their club for 35 years.
00:39This club is committed to being accessible to all, keeping sessions affordable, inclusive and making sure everybody, no matter what their background or circumstances, feels welcome.
00:52The club has given memories to children they will never forget.
00:55The impact the club has on individuals across the Forest of Deem is immeasurable and is an asset to the community it cannot afford to lose.
01:08With almost one in four children in the Forest of Deem, their classes are beasts.
01:14And deprivation, a key underlying factor, is vital that communities have access to affordable, high quality facilities like this.
01:23Clubs like this play a vital role in improving public health and ensuring no person is left behind and no child is left behind.
01:32The winner of this year's award is...
01:36Mr. Brian Higgs of the University of Bethesda.
01:41Thank you very much. I don't really know what to say, but it's well-earned, I think.
01:54The 35 years I've been doing it, running the boxing club, I've been raising money to keep us going over the years.
02:14I've been through a lot, a lot of your wife, I've been through a lot of years ago with cancer, and I took care to put them going, I didn't stay there all the time.
02:25Thanks to Horace, I can't even put it in, I was at the hospice, so my wife went there as well.
02:37Just thank you so much. And I think it's well-deserved for the errors I've put in.
02:44People don't see it on shows, I've put on like 14 or 15 shows, actually, here at Forest Hills, to raise money for us to keep us going.
02:53Unfortunately, I had complaints for officials to say that it was too packed, because we had too many come to the show.
03:01So I've had to find another venue, and it went well last year, and we're hoping to put to another fundraiser this next year.
03:11We've never had any funding off anyone. I've done all the fundraising, basically, I'm not rolling my own trumpet, but I've done it myself.
03:18I've gone out, got sponsors, sponsors for the ring, like the ring cost £500, then you've got the trophies, £400.
03:26A doctor, paid for the officials, you know, if I'd never done it, we wouldn't be there, and I've just kept it going through the years.
03:39We've had, been through Derek Bill Williams, we went through the old 6th Forum block, we had the Feathers Hotel, we had the old Freemasons at the Feathers Hotel.
03:50Then we had the Function Room, then we had the old Post Office, then we had the old 6th Forum block.
03:56So, and then we had the Swan in Lindy, the room down there, and I used to pay for it out of my own pocket.
04:03We used to run with a generator, and lucky enough, we've got Rita's Hall now, hopefully, I'm not sure, and he's listening.
04:15Hopefully, we can keep it going, we've got a lease on it to 2029, and I just, I just want to keep the club going for the kids.
04:24Because I think, with the kids, we give them, we build them, build them as characters.
04:30They come up the stairs, and we've had kids come up the stairs, and they've gone back down because they've been too scared.
04:37But once we get them up there, we get them, build their confidence, and I think that's what it's about, building kids' confidence.
04:45They might go on to box, they might never box, you know. I've travelled the country, my son's there, he's boxed in the Junior Olympics, the Boxing Four Nations.
04:56He wasn't born when I got involved in boxing, but obviously, he got into boxing, and he'd done well, he was a professional.
05:05Yeah, so I'm pleased with what I've done, and I really, really appreciate this.
05:10And I've also won another award for BBC Plus Radio, so it all seems to have come up once.
