Past present and future of Spit n Sawdust



How I Came To Have The Building

Spit n Sawdust started in November in 2003 and was set up after members of a class for overweight men complained about the place I was teaching them at the time.  My girlfriend suggested I ask someone I knew if he would rent a room out to me so I could have a perminent base. I did and he agreed.  . After a couple of years renting from him he went bankrupt and handed the lease of the building over to me.  At the time I had rented one room from him but with him leaving I was to take over the entire building including a room which was being rented as a studio for band practice.  I eventually took over that room and then the building was entirely Spit n Sawdust   

Brief History Of The Building



formerly used as an army barracks

The building was a former stables to the Buck and Bell public house in the time before cars and the rings that were used to tie up the horse are still in the walls.  During World War 2 it was used as a barracks for firstly English then American soldiers.  It was Bought by the Truss family as a store for the 3 shops they owned on Parson Street. The Truss family not only use it as a store but also used used to sell chickens, turkeys and game which you could order and pick up at Christmas. My Caribbean Cafe on the ground floor was where they kept the Christmas trees and my weights room was were they used to smoke their fish.

Having so much history has atracted recent visits from 'Ghost Hunters' who have had 'interesting' findings.  I have witnessed the punchbags start swinging for no apparent reason but have always put this down to movement from traffic?  More visits are scheduled.



Early Days of Spit n Sawdust





Early boxercise classes

The first thoughts for Spit n Sawdust were to be a place to continue running the Boxercise classes I was teaching, including those for the overweight men,  at school halls and sports centres.  I had dreams of starting classes for overweight men all over the country. Sllimming clubs were predominently filled with women so I wanted to start an alternative for men that included not only nutritional advice but also a form of boxing training for exercise.  Unfortunately 

Our first boxers

this didn't take off, but what did happen was youths would come in and see all the boxing equipment and ask me to start a boxing club.  Boxercise continued as usual and I decided to contact my former coach Ken Reynolds to see if he fancied starting a boxing club with me at Spit n Sawdust.  Under Ken Reynolds control the boxing club took off and we were producing champions almost immediately. I re-took my coaching badges and the club went from strength to strength.  Sadly Ken died in Jan 2010 and left a big whole to fill and in all fairness there will never be another Ken.  He was hugely experienced and took the club a long way in a short time.  But we are picking up the peices and the club is back on it's feet producing more boxers.

Model Boxer

 Since the passing of Ken we have lost a few boxers and have had to rebuild the club. I have additional trainers and a new secretary for the club in Ben Malcher.  Asif Mohammed another registered coach here is playing a bigger role at the club too.  Our most successful boxer to date, Robert James Evans has left us to pursue a career in modelling having secured a deal with Calvin Klein and is on his way to live in the States.

We have attracted a new bunch of wannabe boxers to our 'Stable' an the future is looking bright. 

I now feel a large part of what I do is helping children with life skills.  I have done talks at schools, colleges and here at the gym  to groups of children, and in particular teenagers, A small percentage of the members here have social issues and have been sent here by schools and parents. The issues are diverse, some have too much anger and were disruptive at home and/or school whilst others are withdrawn and find it difficult to make friends.  What I like  to do here at Spit n Sawdust is show that we are all the same.  I admit to being a bit old fashioned and like to believe I am strict but fair.

The Future of Spit n Sawdust

Back-a-Yard Caribbean bar

Whilst I love my job and want to stay, develop and expand Spit n Sawdust, I don't see myself working 12 hours a day and teaching all of the classes forever. I would like to employ people to take some of the the workload from me.  I want to play a more active role in helping young people with social problems.  I still believe Spit n Sawdust can become a 'brand' and hope to go into merchandising Spit n Sawdust clothing and equipment. This summer will see the opening of my Back-a-Yard Caribbean bar so I hope some of you people reading this will be coming to sample some of my fine Jamaican Rums