Crystal Deacon's idea to put a community boxing bag up in Flaxmere Park has finally come to fruition with the arrival of a permanent frame fixture to hang it from. Photo / Warren Buckland
Crystal Deacon's idea to put a community boxing bag up in Flaxmere Park has finally come to fruition with the arrival of a permanent frame fixture to hang it from. Photo / Warren Buckland
It's taking all twelve rounds, but a Flaxmere woman is trying to win a knockout victory with her efforts to implement a community boxing bag in Flaxmere Park.
Crystal Deacon's idea to hang a boxing bag up from a tree in Flaxmere Park late November last year looked down forthe count after Hastings District Council took it down due to safety concerns.
Public Spaces and Building Assets manager Colin Hosford said earlier that the council had concerns the branch holding the bag might break, and that the chain from which the bag was hanging could damage the tree.
After discussion, however, the council ordered a steel pull-up frame from overseas at the end of last year for installation in the park to hang Deacon's boxing bag from.
Unfortunately, according to reports on social media, the bag suffered damage on Tuesday evening, with a photo of it lying on the ground being shared on local community Facebook pages.
Hastings District Council's Public Spaces Planning manager Rachel Stuart said the frame finally arrived a couple of weeks ago after shipping delays due to Covid.
Deacon said she hung her boxing bag up on the new frame on Saturday morning for the community to enjoy.
Deacon has had a positive response from the community and hopes more public boxing bags could be installed across Hawke's Bay parks. Photo / Warren Buckland
She said on Tuesday morning that she had had a great response out in the community.
"I was walking to work and I saw a few people who were like, 'Hey, you finally got that bag up'. Work colleagues; people in the supermarket," she said.
"I do have a lot of friends who do train and do boxing, so they are quite rapt also."
She said she has already seen groups of young people enjoying the bag.
"They were getting into it and smashing it out. I thought it was great."
She said it had been a long wait with the shipping delays, but it had been "well worth the wait."
She said she started at the end of last year hanging the bag out in the park - which her property backs onto - to use for herself when the weather was nice, but it was easier to keep the bag outside for the community to share.
She said she hoped more community boxing bags could be installed in Flaxmere, and eventually other parks in Hawke's Bay.
"Maybe another one on the other side of the Flaxmere park where the playground is and where the new skate bowl is going up."
Stuart said on Tuesday morning the council intends for the frame to stay up permanently.
"The frame is actually a pull-up bar, which can be used as part of the exercise circuit of fitness equipment around the perimeter of Flaxmere Park when the boxing bag isn't attached," Stuart said.
