Off the Ropes: The Boxing Programme Changing Lives in Abbey Wood

There is a boxing gym in Abbey Wood that sits inside an NHS hospital site. It is not there for fitness. It is not there for competition. It is there because someone understood, from personal experience, that boxing does something for the mind that is difficult to replicate.

That someone is Warren Dunkley - former professional boxer, NHS occupational therapist, and founder of Off the Ropes.

What Off the Ropes Does

Off the Ropes is a mental health charity based at the Heath View Building, Goldie Leigh Hospital, Lodge Hill, Abbey Wood, SE2 0AS. The charity runs non-contact boxing programmes for adults living with mental health challenges - including sessions delivered directly on NHS mental health wards.

They have been granted a 10-year lease by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust to operate what is widely recognised as the first boxing gym to sit within an NHS facility in the UK. They also work with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

The sessions are non-contact. No sparring, no competition. Gloves, bags, pads, and a coach who understands both the sport and the clinical context. Participants include adults with severe and enduring mental illness, people with learning disabilities, those with neurological conditions, and NHS staff who need the same outlet as everyone else.

Why Boxing Works for Mental Health

The evidence base is growing. A 2022 scoping review in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine examined 16 studies on non-contact boxing as a mental health intervention and found consistent reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms, alongside improvements in mood, self-esteem, confidence, and concentration.

A study from the University of Manchester evaluated nurse-delivered boxing interventions on inpatient mental health wards. Both staff and patients overwhelmingly agreed that boxing helped reduce anger, stress, and anxiety - and staff observed improvements in impulse control.

None of this surprises people who have trained seriously. Boxing demands full attention. You cannot think about anything other than what you are doing when you have gloves on. That kind of enforced present-moment focus - the combination of physical effort and mental engagement - is precisely what the research keeps pointing to.

Warren Dunkley saw this working in his clinical practice long before the studies caught up. He built Off the Ropes around it.

A Different Kind of Boxing Club

Off the Ropes is not training people to compete. That is an important distinction. They deliver therapeutic boxing - structured, safe, and designed specifically for people who may be at a fragile point in their lives. Their coaches understand clinical environments and work within them.

It is the same sport. Different application entirely.

Honour and Glory works in a different part of the same space. We run our own Healthy Mind initiative - the recognition that boxing does more than build fitness. Our recreational members regularly describe the mental clarity they get from a session: the stress that lifts, the sleep that improves, the focus that carries into the week. We are not a clinical service. But we recognise that the benefits Warren built a charity around are real, and they happen here too.

Two Clubs, One Idea

Off the Ropes and Honour and Glory are not in competition. We serve different people in different circumstances. What we share is a belief in what boxing can do.

If you or someone you know is dealing with mental health challenges and could benefit from a structured, non-contact boxing programme in a clinical or supported setting, Off the Ropes is doing genuinely important work in SE London. We would encourage anyone who needs that kind of support to get in touch with them directly.

If you are looking for a welcoming boxing club where you can train, improve, and be part of a community that values people as much as results, book a free trial session at Honour and Glory Boxing Club.

Both clubs exist because boxing has more to offer than a sport. The rope connects them.