Working in a hospital, orchestrating gym classes and now preparing to take on her first boxing fight, there’s not much that Clair Sweeting can’t do.

A fitness fanatic, Clair regularly trains and helps others to do the same. But she craved a challenge to set her sights on.

“I love to cycle, but I don’t really enjoy running so I had a think about what challenge I could do.

“I didn’t want to do a 10k because I was looking for something a bit different. My husband is a boxer and my son trains in boxing too, so I thought I’d get into it too,” she said.

Aside from this being a physical challenge, Clair has a much more important motivation to push her through her training sessions.

“I’ve lost a couple of family members to different cancers, and I’ve wanted to do something to raise money for Macmillan.

“I also work in a hospital, so I see people with various illnesses all the time.”

As a care co-ordinator at Tameside Hospital, Clair sees the importance of raising money for these charities.

“So many people raise money, but I think as a society we should do more.

“Without these charities and without people raising money, so many more people would suffer,” she said.

So, Clair has fastened up her boots and embarked on a journey to raise money and put up a good fight.

She feels ‘at the top of her fitness’ and is enjoying taking on various sessions to prepare for her bout.

However, Clair is yet to find out the opponent she will face, and so is sparring a variety of people to get used to different fight styles.

“My husband is massively into boxing, so it’s been great to train with him and I feel really confident.

“My son has been coming along to my training sessions too, which has been amazing,” she said.

Time is quickly running out until Clair steps into the ring on Saturday (4 February). Her fight is set to take place at Bowlers in Manchester, where crowds will fill to watch the white collar boxers in action.

Clair is in the process of selling tickets for her fight, for which all the proceeds will go to charity. She is aiming to raise £500, money that will help Macmillan to continue lifesaving work.

Alongside training for her fight, Clair also organises weekly classes to encourage others to live healthier lifestyles.

“I went through a phase of loving the gym, I was there every day. It became an obsession, so I decided to carry out my personal training course.

“I worked in Pure Gym for about two years, I was teaching classes and training people.

“But I had a full-time job and four children, so I decided to set that aside and just teach classes,” she said.

Running spinning classes at Village Hyde, Clair believes a healthy lifestyle is imperative to a happy life.

“Takeaway food and an easy lifestyle are so accessible now, everything must be in moderation, but I think it’s important to eat well and so some form of exercise.

“Exercise gives you a buzz, I see massive mental health benefits to it too.

“Even if you don’t want to go, you will feel so much better when you return afterwards.

“Getting out and going for a walk is enough. You will get some fresh air and feel like you’ve earnt to treat yourself afterwards,” she said.

As a women immersed in the fitness world, Clair sees the importance of females taking up sport to alleviate the pressures of life.

“Women carry a lot of stresses and burdens, so to make time for yourself and get to the gym is so positive.

“That’s all you’ve got, and it is so important to make time for yourself, especially when life can be so stressful,” she said.

Clair has proven that fitness carries many benefits. Now, she will pull on her gloves, prepare to step in the ring and put on a great show. 

Do you know an inspirational sporting woman in Tameside or Glossop?

Women in Sport is a weekly column which shares the incredible stories of ladies involved in sport across the area. We are always on the lookout for fresh stories to tell. To nominate someone for the column or get involved yourself, please email Katie on katie.catherall@questmedianetwork.co.uk. 

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