A boxing club is up off the canvas after last summer's floods almost dealt it a knockout blow.

Witney Boxing Club lost thousands of pounds worth of equipment at its premises at Newland Sports and Social Club last July.

But it's now back with a bang after having its new gym opened by Tory Party leader David Cameron.

All the club's boxing gloves, headguards and gumshields were lost in the floods, which also saw its boxing ring damaged beyond repair.

Now, it has twice as many boxers training at its new gym at Carterton Football Club in Swinbrook Road, which is equipped with a new £3,500 ring.

The renamed Windrush Valley Amateur Club, which has 30 boxers aged 11 to 33, got up off its knees after £5,000 was donated by the Witney Rotary Club, of which Mr Cameron is an honorary member.

Club chairman Ann Setch: "When I first saw the flood damage to our hut last year I thought it was over for us. Our boxers were devastated.

"We were completely homeless for two months and then when we first moved to Carterton we literally only had a handful of skipping ropes.

"The money was a massive boost to us. It would have taken us at least a year to raise this money on our own - and in that time we could have lost a lot of our boxers.

"Kids would miss out on all the benefits that boxing gives them, discipline, physical fitness, confidence, motivation and comradeship.

"Now we're looking forward to a bigger, better, brighter future."

Last year the club secured a £500 grant from the rotary club to secure its immediate future as well as receiving a £1,500 grant from Fox FM and Barclays bank.

Witney Rotary Club spokesman Richard Smithcorr said: "This is a vitally important club in the community that we wanted to support.

"Youngsters get a bad press for hanging around on street corners, but this is somewhere for young people to go where they can learn self-discipline and channel their aggression in a positive way."