Newhall's Royal Oak Boxing Club Features 'Brilliant' Mural of Jack Bodell and Captain Tom Moore

A stunning graffiti mural nearing completion at Newhall's The Royal Oak Boxing Club promises to be a knockout.

The eye-catching artwork features the club's ring, flanked by professional boxer the late Jack Bodell, who hailed from Swadlincote, and former British Army officer Captain Tom Moore, who raised more than £30m for NHS Charities Together in the run-up to his 100th birthday.

The mural is the brainchild of George Balfour, who runs the club, and who is paying for the artwork out of his own pocket.

It's being created by Birmingham-based graffiti artist Andrew Mills, aka Title, of Graffiti by Title.

George told Swadlincote Nub News: "I wanted to do something to recognise two heroes and pay tribute to the amazing work of the NHS who work tirelessly all year round, not just now during the coronavirus outbreak.

"I saw a picture of Captain Tom that Andrew had designed for a wall in Tamworth and I thought it would look brilliant on the outside of our club building.

"The idea to combine a modern-day hero with a key figure from our gym's history developed from there.

"There is still quite a bit of detail to finish off, but Andrew's doing a fantastic job and it already looks amazing.

"There are tributes to the unsung heroes of the NHS to be added, including an NHS rainbow and a nurse's watch with angels.

"It's causing quite a stir with people who have seen it.

"We had planned to keep it under wraps and unveil it only when it was complete - but that just wasn't practical."

The mural will take graffiti artist Andrew, who turned his hobby into a full-time profession 12 years ago, around five days in total to complete.

"It's great to work on the gym and I think the combination works really well," he said.

"I should have it finished this week, weather permitting."

George also revealed that he plans to commission Andrew to complete a second mural, this time inside the gym, featuring the four men who have run the club since it first launched at The Royal Oak pub in 1961.

Jack Bodell

The southpaw got hooked on boxing at the age of nine when he regularly trained at the Newhall gym, then based at The Royal Oak pub.

Aged 15 he became a miner at Church Gresley colliery and went on to be named the National Coal Board amateur light heavyweight champion three times.

His professional boxing career reached its peak during the 1960s and 70s when he fought 71 contests in total winning 58 bouts, including 31 knockouts, with 13 defeats in a career that lasted just over a decade.

After hanging up his gloves in 1972, Jack ran a fish and chip shop in Coventry opened by his friend and sparring partner Muhammad Ali, but was still a regular visitor to Swadlincote - often enjoying a game of dominoes in The Foresters Arms, in High Street.

He died in November 2016 at the age of 76.