Local MPs visit Empire Fighting Chance to see how boxing is helping tackle youth inequality

Mps Visit Empire Fighting Chance (1)

Members of Parliament visited Empire Fighting Chance in Bristol to see first-hand how boxing is helping young people overcome inequality, improve their mental health and build brighter futures.

The visit brought together MPs, parliamentary staff and the Empire Fighting Chance team to explore the challenges facing young people across Bristol and beyond, while seeing how our evidence-informed programmes use the power of boxing to create lasting change.

Throughout the day, visitors heard directly from Empire's team and the young people they support about the realities facing many young people today, including poor mental health, knife crime, barriers to accessing support and the wider impact of inequality. They saw first-hand how the charity combines non-contact boxing with psychology-informed programmes to help young people build confidence, resilience and hope.

  • Round Table Discussion During Mps Visit To Empire Fighting Chance
    Roundtable discussion during MPs visit to Empire Fighting Chance

Seeing the challenges and opportunities

The visit provided an opportunity for parliamentarians to hear directly from those working on the frontline of youth support.

Discussions focused on the growing challenges affecting young people today, including mental health, inequality and access to services, while exploring how charities, communities and policymakers can work together to ensure more young people receive the support they need before challenges escalate into crisis.

By seeing our work in action, MPs were able to experience how boxing can become much more than a sport. At Empire Fighting Chance, it's a powerful tool for building trust, improving wellbeing and creating opportunities for young people to realise their potential.

"We're incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to visit us and see our work first-hand. Statistics and reports only tell part of the story. Spending time with our team and hearing about the realities facing young people gives a much deeper understanding of both the challenges they face and the opportunities that exist when the right support is available."

 

Our role is to provide trusted relationships, safe spaces and create more opportunities for them to build resilience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives."

 

We're pleased to have had the opportunity to share that with today's visitors and look forward to continuing the conversation."

Martin Bisp, Co-Founder, Empire Fighting Chance

Why visits like this matter

We believe meaningful change happens when people come together to better understand the challenges facing young people and work collaboratively to address them.

Visits like this provide an opportunity for decision-makers to hear directly from young people, coaches and practitioners about what works, while exploring how local communities, charities and public services can work together to improve outcomes.

We're encouraged by the interest shown throughout the day and hope this marks the beginning of an ongoing dialogue about how we can collectively create more opportunities for young people, both here in Bristol and across the UK.

From Bristol to a growing national movement

Founded in Bristol more than two decades ago, Empire Fighting Chance has supported tens of thousands of young people experiencing adversity.

Today, our work extends far beyond our own programmes. We support more than 150 organisations across the UK to use boxing as a force for positive social change, with partnerships also developing internationally in Canada and the United States.

Together, we're helping more young people improve their mental wellbeing, strengthen relationships, engage with education and employment, and build brighter futures.

Find out more about our work

Whether you're looking to refer a young person, explore partnership opportunities or simply learn more about our work, we'd love to hear from you.

You may also be interested in: