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
