A Penhill boxing club has found its way back home following a decade in exile.

Victory Valley ABC, which was known as Penhill ABC during its previous stint in the area, has occupied premises as far away as Cirencester over recent years, but to the delight of its coaches now finds itself back in its original territory.

Simon Knowles, a coach at the club, said: “I always wanted it back here.

“We haven’t called it Penhill ABC, we’ve called Victory Valley ABC, because Penhill has been there and done that – we just wanted a fresh start.

“Hopefully we can keep the gym in Penhill – we want to keep it there for as long as we can. It’s doing the community good, that’s for sure.

“We’re trying to create more boxers out of Penhill – not every kid’s going to box, but every kid has the right to be in there.”

The long period away was difficult for the staff and students, Simon said: “It was terrible – we were trying to find premises all over the place.

“We were in Stratton for a couple of years, in St Luke’s School for about a year, and then we went to Cirencester, because we were offered premises.

“We didn’t really want to go to Cirencester, but we had about 12 boys who boxed regularly, so we needed premises.”

Two of his fellow coaches at the club, Tom Varey and Jamie Davies, were pivotal in helping the club return to Penhill, as were the council, who provide their premises at the Chippenham Close Community Centre.

Despite only having returned a month ago, Simon said the effect can already be seen on the aspiring boxers coming into the club.

He said: “The discipline’s starting to show now, which is great, because they need that.

“It’s a disciplined sport, it saves a lot of kids – I’ve seen a lot of kids change their lives around through boxing.

“We’ve got a couple of girls in there as well – and they’re the best of the lot.”

The drive to return home came from his own personal experiences of the Penhill ABC, Steve said: “I boxed in Penhill in the early 80s, and I’ve been in and out of boxing all my life.

“I’ve been coaching for the last 10 years, in Cirencester for the last four years, and we’ve produced a lot of good boys, a lot of national and regional champions, and hopefully we can get the same back here.”

The Victory Valley ABC is looking for more equipment, including gloves and skipping ropes, and any donations should be delivered directly to them at Chippenham Close Community Centre.