Refugee – Taking up boxing at centre supported by Sport England ‘saved my life'
A refugee has said that taking up boxing at a centre which has received funding from Sport England 'saved' her life.
Dr Zin Myint said she was in a 'bad place' after arriving in the UK three months ago having fled Myanmar in South East Asia because of a thesis she wrote on the Rohingya conflict.
She began boxing at St Augustine's Centre in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Dr Myint told the PA news agency: 'I have a lot of mental issues and I've been going to the boxing gyms every week, which is very helpful.
'The centre means the world to me.
'It saved my life as when I came here three months ago, I was in a bad place.'
Meanwhile, Kelly Lees, a recovered drug addict who attends the Basement Recovery Project in Calderdale, said the centre has helped her regain her confidence and self-worth.
She said: 'I heard of the Basement Recovery Project from a few of my friends that I actually used with years ago.
'I started off volunteering and now I work here.'
Ms Lees added: 'Physical activity has helped with my mental health.
'It's helped my confidence, my self-esteem and my worth.'
Local impact reports indicate that in Calderdale inactivity has reduced by 7% among children and young people and 4% among adults.
It comes as Sport England announced plans to invest in activity levels in more than 50 new places currently struggling to provide it, including major cities such as Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton.
New research found that more than a third of adults living in the country's most deprived areas are not getting enough physical activity.
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