Skipping for a worthy cause

It was fun and great exercise for the youngsters.

The Flaxmere Boxing Academy's 24-hour skipathon continues in Hastings CBD today, after its members skipped through the night to raise funds for a new gym.

A first for the region, the skipathon, which began at 4pm yesterday and will last to 4pm today, is aimed at raising funds for the Stortford Lodge-based academy to return to Flaxmere.

At least three people must be skipping on the stage set up in Hastings CBD for the 24-hour duration.

The 90 academy members will be rostered on during the skipathon but academy head coach Craig McDougall said anybody was welcome to skip in return for a donation.

"The public can jump in too, we want to get everyone involved to help out Flaxmere Boxing Academy."

Flaxmere councillor Henare O'Keefe was last night compering the event as academy members and the public lined up for a chance to skip.

"Keep skipping fellas," he said. "It's all for a good cause. This is about creating warriors in the ring and gentlemen out of it."

Flaxmere Boxing Academy member Errol Hart, 14, was pulling his weight.

"I've been up stage about four times," he said a couple of hours into the event.

He planned to spend the night skipping for the academy, using sausages from the U-Turn Trust's Tunu Tunu barbecue as fuel.

If all goes to plan, the academy will be back in Flaxmere early next year. Mr McDougall said the skipathon would feature music, coffee carts, sausage sizzles, boxing demonstrations, massage, haircuts and celebrity challenges.

He was Hawke's Bay Today's Person of the Year for 2013, in recognition of the life-changing impact he is having on at-risk youth.