20/05/2026
Personal trainer, Ross Quarrie has set up a free weekly boxing session in Corby to help local people, particularly those with mental health issues.
Ross (pictured, right), a personal trainer, set up the drop-in sessions at The Chapel Gym after the discipline of boxing meant he conquered his own personal challenges around alcohol and mental health.
He was helped by regular contact with the Personalised Care Team at Lakeside Surgery and turned his life around through self-discipline and exercise. Now he wants to share the benefits of boxing with other people who may be facing the same struggles.
Ross said: ‘I have boxed since I was 11, but when I hit 18 I started going down the wrong path. After six years I knew I had to change things so I went to Thailand for three months to sort myself out and came back a different person. I thought “what can I do with myself and my life?” I started teaching people at The Chapel Gym about two and a half years ago. Then I stopped drinking alcohol altogether and started dedicating my life to helping people and making them feel better and training people. The class that me and my cousin Alex Huxtable run is named Billy’s Fitness after our grandad, who we lost when we were young.’
The duo's free boxing classes, for people aged over 16, take place in The Chapel Gym every Saturday from 12.30 to 1.30pm.
Ross said: ‘We wanted to start a class to give people an outlet and something to do. We box for half an hour and then do a fitness session including running exercises and group races to make it fun and engaging. Everyone has loved it and each week we have more people attending. It is like a little community. It is free of charge but the feeling I get at the end, when people are happier, is worth more than money. It is giving people who may have mental health problems a safe place to go to work on their fitness, with a group of like-minded people where they are not going to be judged. It is a way of building a community for people who might otherwise feel a bit isolated.’
