Canal Boxers ditch gloves to fight cancer

Club members have taken time out of the ring to pose for a new calendar to raise money for Cancer Research.

Although the gloves are off, their kit stayed on, the 12 members stopping shy of a full Calendar Girls style photo-shoot - much to photographer Cliff’s relief.

Club member Nicola Russell says she hasn’t given up hope of talking her new models into a more revealing edition next year

“It was meant to be a nude calendar originally but they all chickened out,” she told the STAR.

“We’ll maybe get round to that next year but we’ll have to talk them all into it.

“They were well up for the calendar, even if they weren’t going to take their clothes off.

“One of the guys decided he was going to get a spray tan done and then they all did it. Once one person does it, the rest just follow.

“They loved it and there was a make-up girl there when we were getting the photographs done too so they were all looking well.”

Nicola says the club were inspired to support the charity by the memory of her husband and club secretary Jim’s late mother Yvonne, who passed away four years ago.

“Jim wanted to do something for charity so I took it on and we started to plan,” she said.

“It’s a charity that is very close to the club’s heart as Jim has been with Canal since it began.”

The calendar isn’t just made up of the club’s male members. They now have 15 girls in the club and three of them went in front of the camera to become Miss February, Miss July and Miss September.

Charlie McClean (pictured) has been going to Canal for a year now and, aided by Miss July, Pippa Ross’ Boxercise classes, has dropped more than one dress size.

“Charlie has come from 23 stone down to 11.5 stone in just one year,” said Nicola.

“She has been training hard, doing various things and has been coming to Pippa’s boxercise classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

“They’re a great work-out and great fun.”

Pippa’s classes run from 7pm to 8.30pm, for men and women, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, priced at £3 a go.

Or if you fancy trying your hand at full boxing, Senior classes run from 7.15pm to 9pm and Junior classes from 6.15pm to 7.15pm, both on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

New members are welcome.

The club’s calendars will be on sale from 1st December in Russell’s Hair and Beauty in Haslem’s Lane, Lisburn, priced at £5.

Nicola’s husband Jim says it’s “the first and last time” he’s getting a tan done but, with his wife pushing for another calendar next year, we’re taking his claim with a pinch of salt.