CARDENDEN Boxing Club are proud as punch to have donated £500 to a local primary school.

Denend PS were on the receiving end of the generous gift which will now be put to good use.

The Times previously told you that the boxing club shut in September last year.

Bill (Willie) Burns, a former pupil at Denend, sadly had to close its doors as a result of an eye condition, with a decision being taken to call time on the club which ran for many decades at the Bowhill Miners Welfare Institute building, now the Bowhill Centre.

Willie learned to box there in the late 1950s, and he went on to play a major role in running it.

His dedication led to him winning Sporting Champion of the Year at the Dunfermline Press and Central Fife Times Community Champion Awards in 2016.

Claire Wyatt, headteacher at Denend PS, was delighted to receive the sum from the boxing club.

She told the Times: “I met with Bill Burns along with Sharon Abercrombie from the boxing club.

“Bill at 80 years old has recently retired but was the founder of the boxing club and played an active role in the training three times a week for 50 years.

“He and his team shared a vision when he started the club of wanting to be the best boxing club in Scotland.

“Bill is a former Scottish boxing champion, competing internationally and also went on to become a boxing referee.

“Bill is a former pupil here at Denend Primary School, which he started attending in 1947. He was delighted to return with a donation of £500 for Denend PS from the funds the boxing club had remaining when it closed its doors.

“I was delighted to accept the kind donation and will now discuss with our school community how best to spend the donation.”