Hartlepool College of Further Education student is a knockout boxer and apprentice

Hartlepool Headland Amateur Boxing Club, where junior champion Millie Addison hones her boxing skills, has also received a donation of £1,000 from Millie’s employer Persimmon Homes, where Millie is undertaking a bricklaying apprenticeship.

Millie recently won gold in her weight class at the Winter Box Cup, a competition organised by England Boxing which brought fighters together from across the country.

Not content with being a champion in the ring, however, she has also just been named Construction and Built Environment Student of the Year Award at Hartlepool College of Further Education.

In honour of her recent achievements, the Mayor of Hartlepool was on hand to present Millie with her new gloves and oversee the presentation of a cheque for a £1,000 to Millie’s boxing club.

John Stubbs, coach at Hartlepool Headland ABC, said: “We’re immensely proud of Millie and I’m delighted to see all the hard work she puts in paying off both in the ring and at work.

“Donations such as this allow us to give our young local boxers the best opportunities to train and compete at the highest level. Indeed this donation will help us take some of our boxers over to an upcoming tournament in Sweden.”

Councillor Brian Cowie, the Mayor of Hartlepool, added: “I’m delighted to see local businesses, such as Persimmon supporting initiatives in Hartlepool and in doing so providing some fantastic opportunities for our young people.“It was great to visit Hartlepool Headland Amateur Boxing Club and help highlight the work they are doing to give local boxers every chance to develop their craft and further their skills.

"In particular I enjoyed talking to Millie and it is great to see her receiving well deserved recognition for all she is achieving both in her boxing career and at work with Persimmon.”

Sean Taylor, managing director of Persimmon Homes Teesside, said: “It’s great to see Millie doing so well in her training both with us and outside of work.

“We firmly believe in supporting local young people and as a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer we’re always looking to help enthusiastic young people embark upon a career in construction."