Yesterday, Olympic boxing champion James DeGale returned to his local youth club to donate Lonsdale kit.

Dale Youth Club was where James first realised his passion and skill for boxing and he strongly believes that Dale Youth Club was responsible for keeping him out of trouble and focused on a life in the ring rather than on the streets of North West London.

Wanting to make sure that tomorrow’s potential stars are given the same opportunity as himself, James is returning to his old club to give coaching lessons to the young boxers training there and donate essential kit to the club and it’s protgs.

James believes that clubs such as the Dale can play a key role in keeping children and teenagers off the streets and out of trouble. They provide facilities and a meeting place in which to associate and train – helping building a sense of pride and ambition in youngsters.

At 14, James could have become a rebellious teenager but taking up boxing at the Dale Youth Club put James on a completely different path and a short time later he was fighting as an amateur in Las Vegas. His accolades to date include gold at the 2004 Commonwealth Games, Bronze at 2006 Commonwealth Games and then gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has now turned professional, signing with Lonsdale and is starting to make a name for himself in pro boxing.