Newcastle boxing could not be in better health.
There is no doubting that, but a booming gym is seeing its female boxing numbers grow.
O’Tooles only began trading this year after Tyneside businessman, Neil Conlon, transformed a disused kids play zone in Byker into a two-floor stare-of-the-art gym.
Neil, whose professional boxing son, James, is based out of the Byker HQ, has seen business take off.
But he has now added what he describes as “one of the last pieces of the jigsaw”, a top-notch female personal trainer, Kate McRae (pictured above).
“Things are going in the right direction at O’Tooles, without a doubt,” Neil told punch-lines.
“August, you would have to say, is not the greatest of times for gyms, with people on holiday and the school holidays etc.
“But things are going nicely here since we started and we’ve received good feedback from our customers.
For more information about O’Tooles and how to join, click here
“We’ve now got a great trainer on board in Kate McRae, she’s brilliant.
“Kate is probably one of the last pieces of the jigsaw here.
“We want O’Tooles to be the place to come for people whether it’s boxing or fitness.
“Boxing-wise we have Nikki Gittus and James doing coaching upstairs and O’Tooles Health & Fitness downstairs, managed by Neil McVicar.
“Getting Kate in has been great for O’Tooles with her fitness classes.
“More and more females are getting interested in boxing, whether that’s taking uptake sport seriously or for improving fitness.
“Kate is not shy to put the gloves on so we feel we cater for everyone at O’Tooles.”
O’Tooles Boxing is situated on the top floor at 308 Shields Road in Byker.
It features a full-sized boxing ring, plus bags and treadmills around the room, while there is a cage for those of an MMA persuasion.
O’Tooles Health & Fitness, featuring all the best equipment, plus fully-qualified staff, is downstairs.
O’Tooles will be sponsoring two North-East shows, starting with the Steve Wraith and Phil Jeffries-promoted ‘No Place to Hide’ bill at the Lancastrian Suite in Dunston this Saturday.
Words: Roy Kelly
