Sunderland boxing club blown away by 'amazing' donation from Wearside woman who left city over 40 years ago

Southwick’s North Star ABC were shocked when they received a cheque for £3000 and a letter from Elaine Gibson, explaining how she lived in Southwick over 40 years ago and saw the club were fundraising money for a minibus.

Elaine, 69, now lives in Bristol after leaving Southwick over 40 years ago at the age of 23 and keeps up with the goings on of the Southwick community via Facebook.

When she saw the boxing club were raising money for a minibus to support young people in the community, Elaine knew she wanted to help out, despite being over 250 miles away.

The £3000 donation pushed North Star ABC to the fundraising target for a mini bus and will make a massive difference to the club and its members, according to Head Coach Danny Hopper.

He said: “I was shocked when I opened the letter from Elaine. I expected about £100 maximum, which would have been an amazing amount, so you can imagine how much £3000 meant.

“Having a mini bus will mean everything for the club. Hiring a bus costs an absolute fortune and we’ve had to be relying on others to get kids to fights. It’ll be great to now travel all together across the UK.”

North Star ABC were formed in 2016 and supports young boxers aged seven plus with training sessions as well as having beginner classes, junior squad and senior squad.

To thank Elaine for her incredible support, North Star ABC sent her some flowers and a thank you note.

Peter Gibson, who helped put Elaine in contact with the boxing club, added: “I shared the North Star ABC Just Giving Page and Elaine got in touch wanting to donate £3000. She also donated £300 to Southwick Village Green Preservation society. She is an amazing woman and we have all been bowled over by her kindness to Southwick. She still sees Sunderland as her home.”

To find out more about North Star ABC, visit their Facebook page via this link.

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