A boxing club at the heart of a community has "been an institution" in its town for 50 years.
Since 1974, Huyton Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) has been a cornerstone of the community. Founded by the late Brin Furlong, the club was originally known by another name before becoming the club it is today.
Training scores of champions at both amateur and professional levels, Brin worked with hundreds of aspiring boxers from Huyton and beyond - including his own sons. Now half a century on, the legacy of the club continues off Longview Lane with coaches and volunteers like Paul Furlong, Brin's son, and Andrew Robinson at the helm working with the next generation.
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Paul, 56, has seen the club and sport evolve from his childhood days being trained by his dad. He told the ECHO: "I was only six at the time my dad started the club. He had a few fights himself and I think he must have just got into the coaching with my two older brothers, so I think that's why he started it.
"We used to be called the BICC because there was a Huyton club already down in Page Moss and there used to be the BICC (British Insulated Callender’s Cables) based in Prescot.
"We took the Huyton name when Page Moss folded. It was tiny the old gym. He started with quite a few kids, but you had to be tough to stay in there.
"If you wanted to box you had to box - there was no room for if you didn't want to box. When I first started, I remember there being a bar, it must have been an old café at one point. There wasn't a lot of room, but it was one of those blood, sweat and snot training rooms."
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Light-welter Alan Vaughan, who won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships and WBU (World Boxing Union) Flyweight champion Peter Culshaw were among Brin's proteges. Through the years, Brin worked hard to sustain the club, making it as accessible as possible to all.
Andrew Robinson has been involved in coaching at the club for over 20 years. He told the ECHO: "What Brin had to do was incredible really and I think because the kids weren't as spoilt, they had to work harder because of the limited space. He got the best out of them and the limited space meant you got good quality.
"Paul's dad, he built up a legacy and that's why we’ve called it Brins gym, it's a legacy that should live on and that's why we do what we do." After Brin's death in the early 2000s, Paul took over to carry on the legacy his dad started.
Paul said: "Everyone loved him. People liked him for plain and simple reasons, like he was honest. The thing about my dad was, you would have thought he was 100 when he died, but he was only 61.
"He had that effect on people. He’d been part of so many people's lives."
Keeping the traditions and values of the club, Paul said Huyton ABC are part of the "old school who have had to adapt to new school."
Today, between 30 and 50 boys and girls attend the club every week and a mural of Brin and other key figures in Huyton ABC's history decorate the walls around them as they train. Andrew said: "We don't turn anyone away - no matter what background or ability or disability, we try to give them something."
For decades, the team of dedicated volunteers have continued to devote their time to the club and its members and their efforts go far beyond the boxing ring. Like many other amateur boxing clubs around the country, Huyton ABC has faced challenges and the impact of government cuts but worked hard to keep their subs at a minimum while still offering quality training.
The team have also worked to reduce crime, promote health and wellbeing and collaborate with local authorities, schools and the police and emergency services to benefit the wider community. For around 20 years, local taxi company Britannia Taxis, have sponsored the club and to celebrate their 50th year recently provided them with a new commemorative kit for all our members.
Andrew said: "We’re all volunteers and Brin gave us a great foundation to work from. It's tough, we're not just the boxing club, but when you look at 50 years - it's incredible really."
Paul's son, Josh was also trained at Huyton ABC and now Andrew's son Teddy, who is almost four, is the next generation to come to the club. Andrew said: "We recently had a plaque put on the wall by Knowsley Council celebrating 50 years, that is massive recognition.
"It's a massive part of the community, it always has been. If you look around most areas of the world where there can be poverty, boxing is a massive escape.
"Huyton ABC is an institution in itself. You look at things that come and go in areas, especially pubs, football teams, churches - but through Paul's dad's hard work and Paul continuing it and our support, we’re looking at the next 20, 30 years.
"We don't look at next week because you can't. I say to the kids, it takes courage to walk through the door.
"We try to instil values in them - it’s not just the boxing - so hopefully we can create positive citizens of the future. That's what we want."
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