An Erskine church minister is combining faith with fitness as he launches new boxing classes for local youngsters.
Reverend David Nicolson recently took part in a course at the famed Hatton Boxing Academy to learn the skills needed to set up fitness classes for a group of S1 and S2 pupils from the town's Park Mains High School.
He has been given £780 by the FlightPath Fund to cover the full cost of purchasing 10 sets of boxing gloves and 10 sets of pads, with the first session taking place last week.
Rev Nicolson, who has been minister of Erskine Parish Church since 2019, told The Gazette: "We are profoundly grateful to the Flightpath Fund for giving us the seed investment required to get this project up and running. It's an exciting new venture for both the church and the high school.
"The non-contact classes are centred around fun, fitness and focus and have been going well.
"Boxing training is an outstanding way to improve cardiovascular fitness, improve coordination, and balance, and has even been shown to offer mental health benefits.
"As well as this we aim to focus on respect, discipline, and even a little mindfulness - so it's a complete workout."
More than £130,000 is being made available by the FlightPath Fund this year to support community groups, charities and sustainability-themed projects local to Glasgow Airport. A total of £79,000 has been awarded so far this year to 42 diverse groups.
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The fund's committee is continuing to urge neighbouring groups and organisations to submit applications and is keen to support sustainability-themed projects aimed at improving the environment in the communities local to the airport.
The FlightPath Fund was established in 2010 to provide financial support to community groups and charities committed to improving the opportunities, facilities and services available to local people.
To find out more about applying for funding support, visit www.glasgowairport.com/community and download the application form and our funding guidelines.
The next meeting of the FlightPath Fund will take place on Friday, September 1 and applications should be submitted no later than three weeks prior to the meeting.
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