Sod turned on long-awaited Wexford town boxing gym and community facility

Elected representatives gathered with those from the club and members of the community to signify the start of the work, which should be completed in 12 to 14 months.

Mayor George Lawlor has been on board since the start and believes that this will be "the first boxing club built by a local authority in Ireland, at least for many years".

"Five years ago I met with then Chief Executive of Wexford County Council Tom Enright to secure his agreement for this proposal," Cllr Lawlor said.

"We then brought the proposal to the Wexford Borough District and were successful in our application for Sports Capital Funding, thanks to the work of David Whitty at Wexford County Council.

"Then we had an incredibly generous donation from Seamus Neville and funds were also made available through the Ukrainian Recognition Fund.

"The project hit one or two speedbumps along the way with the initial costings, but we went again, determined to deliver this much needed facility. It was a great occasion to finally have the sod turning and it was a source of great pride for me personally."

The boxing gym will also function as a community space for other activities, with organisations such as the Collective Sensory Group also signed up to avail of it.

Coming in for particular praise in getting the project to this point were Sean Meyler of Special Projects, Director of Services Shay Howell and Rory Curtis of Wexford County Council.

Along with the astro pitches, which have been a huge success since opening, the boxing gym is seen as yet another investment in an area that had been traditionally neglected.