Sheffield Gym, De Hood, receives huge boost thanks to donation from One Health

One Health has donated £3,000 to 'De Hood', a community gym located in the former Prince Edward's School, Manor, Sheffield, to buy new equipment. 

Gym founder and boxing coach, Reagan Denton, said: "The donation from One Health is incredible, it means so much for our work here to be recognised by such an organisation. 

It's fantastic to be able to have some money to improve the facilities and our equipment as members keep growing.  It makes a massive difference, not just for me, but for all the kids that we're trying to help and I'm so grateful to One Health."

Derek Bickerstaff, of One Health said, "it's always good to be able to donate for these kind of causes.  Reagan has been through a lot and he's a great role model for the kids.  The work he is doing at De Hood is inspiring and we look forward to playing our part in the next phase of the project."

Reagan's pat from professional boxer to gym owner has taken several twists and turns over the years.  

Now aged 38 he has lived in Manor his whole life and was on track to becoming a top boxer until he started down a path that led to drugs and ended with a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.  Using his time behind bars to keep fit, Reagan was determined to return to society on best behaviour and case the dream he had had to leave behind, but that all changed in 2013.

"As I was stood at the window of my home one day, I saw bored ten-year-old lads throwing dog waste at a single mum who was walking by and something clicked in me" he said "I knew I had to change things."

Reagan confronted them and offered to teach them discipline through boxing.  The following night, two took him up on the offer and turned up at Fairleigh Social Club, Manor, where Reagon had hung two punch bags from the rafters.

The next night there were six teenagers in the makeshift gym and by the end of the week he had 10 punch bags and 20 teenagers.  Three years later and Denton's gym, 'De Hood', now has 380 members and and the affects it's having on the community are showing.

Reagan said "Crime dropped by 37 per cent within just a few weeks of us starting this project and fires in the area reduced by half.  We've been visited by the fire service, police and local MPs who are all amazed by what we're acheiving here."