A KICKBOXING coach is raising funds for a local academy as he hopes to help children pursue their own ambitions of competing internationally regardless of their financial background.

Kickboxing lacks the same financial support given to more popular sports like football or rugby, leaving aspiring working class youngsters struggling to pursue their dreams of representing their nation or region in wider competitions.

As such, Tommy Crossland of Wombwell’s Combat Academy is taking part in this year’s Edinburgh Marathon on May 25 to raise funds for the kids who train at the academy.

The senior instructor will run 26.2 miles along the East Lothian coastline during the event, with goals of raising £1,100 to help some of the exceptional young sports people at the academy travel to Australia later in the year where they’ll compete in the ISKA World Championships.

Tommy told the Chronicle: “We’ve got kids who work day in and day out, five or six days a week - they train their socks off.

“Every year we’ve managed to take them to the championship and covered almost all of the funding.

“But most years it’s in Europe - I’m not saying that’s cheap, but compared to Australia it’s a lot better.

“So this year we’re having a big push to help the students - everyone’s saving up and doing what they can to represent their country.”

While Tommy is an athlete, he admits he’s never been a runner but is ‘looking forward’ to the challenge.

“I’ve not just done kickboxing, I’ve taken part in other stuff like rock climbing and bodybuilding but nothing serious,” he added.

“Running’s always been something I’m not the best at - I can run long distances but I don’t enjoy it.

“But as a coach I think it’s my responsibility to challenge myself and what better opportunity is there than to do something good for the students.”