AN Ely boxing club has been vandalised by thieves, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage in an attempted break-in.
Caerau Ely A.B.C, based in Trelai Park, was targeted during the night on Wednesday October 27 when thieves tried to get into the gym’s boiler room using a crowbar.
As a result, the lock to the boiler room has been broken and a protective steel barrier damaged. It is thought that the noise caused by the break-in deterred the burglars from entering the building.
Club coach and organiser Mark Atkins has estimated that it will take approximately £200 to buy and fit a new locking system.
This is the third time that Caerau Ely A.B.C has been broken into in recent years, with boilers and copper pipes stolen in the past. As a result, the club has now installed a plastic boiler.
Mr. Atkins said: “it’s just sad that people resort to crime to fund their [drug] habits”, adding that the club’s budget is already “on a shoestring.”
“It all boils down to the financial burden,” he added.
Caerau Ely A.B.C is run by a team of volunteers and holds daily sessions for adults and children, many of whom have never put on a pair of boxing gloves.
It aims to teach discipline and respect to children as well as training professional boxers. In a statement about the incident posted on social media, the club wrote: “This gym could potentially give our young kids a bright future.”
The break-in has been reported to South Wales Police and Cardiff Council.
Thieves tried to steal the boiler in Caerau Ely A.B.C gym
Thieves tried to steal the boiler in Caerau Ely A.B.C gym
