A personal trainer is setting up an inclusive community gym in Ely, Cardiff to help keep young people off the streets.
Marlon Francis has been a personal trainer for many years and also trains clients in parks, but he decided that he wanted something "bigger" to call his own.
The father-of-three jumped at the opportunity to transform an old derelict building in Ely, where a Cardiff boxing legend set up his boxing school three decades ago, into his very own community gym.
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Called BishBosh Fitness, it will welcome people of all ages and abilities - including schoolchildren under 16, who would usually be too young to attend other gyms.
The building, located on Grand Avenue, used to be the site of the popular Ronnie's Gym, where Cardiff boxing legend Ronnie Rush set up and ran his own boxing school 30 years ago, turning around the lives of many disadvantaged youngsters.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise costs to repair and renovate the disused space.
Mr Francis, who works for British Gas, explained he has "always wanted" to be a youth worker and that his "whole purpose in life was to be with kids".
After realising there were no spaces or opportunities for young people in Ely - where he has lived for 20 years - he decided to "step up and help out" his community.
"A lady used to run youth clubs in Ely, but they've all closed. There's nothing for them anymore at all - nothing for children," he said.
"The only place that you'll see them is riding bikes and sitting outside shops - not causing trouble, just looking like they're causing trouble, because they wear tracksuits with hoods and no-one understands them. So they need something like this."
He continued: "So that's where my idea of a community gym came from. So it's not just about meatheads going down and getting pumped - it's about bringing schoolchildren over to the gym."
The project, which is currently in its early stages, will soon see history repeating itself. But Mr Francis, who has lived in Ely for 20 years, makes it clear that his vision is different to that of his famous predecessor.
"Ronnie's was more boxing and with rings and stuff. I'm not that sort of gym. Mine's more fitness in your mind, fitness in strength. So it's different from Ronnie, but it's the same - because again kids are going to be coming in and that's what he had," he explained.
BishBosh Fitness will not only be open to youngsters - it will also embrace the elderly, the disabled and mums with very young children.
"I'm looking to bring everybody in the community," said Mr Francis.
"Whether you're young, whether you're old, whether you're disabled - everybody is going to be coming to have some form of fitness experience."
He continued: "Mums can't do training with their children - there are no gyms that offer that. But my training sessions are going to be offering not only the mum to do her session, but also the children to be involved as well. Even if it's a child in a pram - I've got a couple of mums already and we just do that over the park."
Mr Francis cites his own mother, Valerie Allen, a stalwart of Ely who used to fundraise and volunteer to improve the lives of children and families in the area, as an inspiration for his enterprise.
"My mum used to do everything within the community, so we're going to carry on her legacy," he said.
"Everybody knows Valerie Allen - she's just the face of Ely," he said, adding that a mural of his mother with children around her was painted to celebrate her work.
With the help of his son, who is a builder, an electrician, and his neighbour, Mr Francis is currently transforming the building which is still full of Ronnie's possessions.
Through crowd-funding, he wants to raise money for the renovation in stages - starting with £2,000 to repair the leaky roof which has caused considerable water damage.
He hopes to complete the whole gym, which has two floors, in about a year - but said the ground floor may be open to the public sooner if he gets enough help and support.
"My plan is to get the roof done, and then open the ground floor," he said.
"If that roof gets done ASAP, that would shorten [the timeframe], because I'm not going to be looking to do both of the floors right this second. Having one [floor] open would be good - to bring the energy back into Ely."
Mr Francis revealed that there has already been interest from potential employees.
"A few trainers [from other gyms] have asked to come to my gym. I thought I would have to look for trainers. In terms of what it's offering, I think they all just want to jump on and be part of it," he said.
"It's not just talk anymore. It's actually happening and people want to be part of what's going on, which is good."
You can donate to the GoFundMe for BishBosh Fitness here.
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