A COMMUNITY gym that has produced Olympic and Commonwealth athletes in its 50-year history is now set to be bulldozed to make way for an apartment block.
Founded by Olympic boxer Max Shacklady in 1953, the Barton Athletic Club, at Patricroft, Eccles, has been served with an eviction order to vacate its home in Cromwell Road by the end of this week.
Ellesmere District Scouts, owners of the Old Drill Hall building where the club is based, want to sell the property they bought for '1 in 1967 to a developer for around '300,000 to turn it into 18 new flats.
The Scout Council trustees have applied to Salford council to change the land from recreational to residential.
The volunteer-run gym has been a hotbed for local talent with Max's son Tony Shacklady winning a silver Commonwealth medal in wrestling, Gary Moores representing the British wrestling team in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games and even Joe Louis, the great heavyweight boxing champion, paying a visit during a trip to Britain.
Although the club has nearly 3,000 past and present members and letters of support from the Amateur Athletics Association, Amateur Boxing Association and the British Wrestling Association - together with a 10,000-signature petition sent to Salford council - it has not been able to reach an agreement with the owners.
Despite agreeing to a 29 per cent rent increase in February to meet the Victorian building's maintenance costs, Ellesmere Scouts decided they no longer had any use for the property and wanted to sell it.
Club treasurer John Lightfoot said: "For 30 years this was the only leisure facility in Patricroft. It is a unique, non-profit based centre and we have produced many athletes who have represented the country.
"We don't feel as if we have been treated properly. This is recreational land not residential and the council should refuse a change of use."
An Ellesmere Scouts Council spokesman said: "Ellesmere Scouts informed the trustees they no longer required the building as of this year.
The Scouts were not getting full use and the building needs a lot of repair work. It's uneconomical when the Scouts have nine other buildings they can use for meetings."
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The Scouts should hang their head in shame. They were virtually given this property (and the land) for their use to suport the local lads in the community, by people who wanted the building to be put to good by that local community not for the land to be sold and the money to go into the scout's bank.
There are several options - part develop and replace the club. Build the flats and give the bottom two floors to the community.
The Cub Scout Law is:
Cub Scouts always do their best
Think of others before themselves & do a good turn every day.
Time for re-think
This facility has done more for the youth of Eccles than any politician. I have fond memories of training at the gym in the 1980's and have the upmost respect for Frank, Roy and Sean who gain their time up to train local youths. Some boxed for the club, some didn't, but all learnt discipline and respect. Maybe some of the funds raised from Amir Khan's fight with Mario Kindelan at the Reebok could be used to help the campaign to save the gym. Good Luck.
trained at scout hall for years on n off from 1974, learnt a lot from max top man, taught me more than just pugilism as did roy, taught me to be a young man, grew up to be respectful man, old mate of gary moore, tony silver, etc...dont shut this place it would be a sad loss to a lot of men to be....god bless Maximilleum B.Shacklady...and good luck Tony x