Whitehead County Antrim Northern Ireland

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Exodus play now 12th June

A new booking form for the community centre, with T&Cs and fees from 5 December 2011 is now available.

Gavan McGibbon during training for The Fight. Pic © Nico Fell Photography. Nicofell.com.

Boxing for Aware has painful consequences

Whitehead man Gavan McGibbon stepped into the boxing ring for the first time on Thursday 27th October in the Europa Hotel, Belfast as part of the White Collar Boxing event. Following only eight weeks of intensive training, Gavan and his opponent had three tough rounds of fighting before the judges deemed Gavan unsuccessful in his bout. Despite suffering a broken rib and taking a punch to the face, Gavan raised over £652 for Aware Defeat Depression and loved almost every minute of it.

Gavan said: “The training was incredible. I wasn’t very fit to begin with and all the guys at Monkstown ABC were brilliant; the level of training was second to none. I’ve noticed a huge change in myself since I started the training, both mentally and physically and despite my injuries, I don’t regret doing it. I was boxing to support Aware Defeat Depression, they do wonderful work, so getting punched for them wasn’t as painful as you’d expect! That said, I’m still asking people to donate to my justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/Gavan-McGibbon1.”

Alison Smyth, Head of PR and Fundraising for Aware added: “Gavan did fantastically well, the judges may have awarded victory to his opponent but in our eyes he’s a winner. Not only did he raise over £650 but he carried on fighting after he’d been injured. All the staff, volunteers and service users from Aware are hugely grateful to Gavan. Thanks to his determination and bravery, we can continue to provide support groups across Northern Ireland and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

White Collar Boxing is the latest challenge event to become popular in Northern Ireland. If you’re interested in taking part in the next round of The Fight, contact Lorraine on 9032 1734 or email Lorraine@aware-ni.org.

For information on your nearest support group visit www.aware-ni.org or call the helpline on 08451 20 29 61.