Two Suffolk mums who struggled with their mental health after having children have organised empowering boxing classes for women to take care of their bodies and minds.

Nicola Mason, a personal trainer, and Lucy Grimwood, a boxing tutor, joined forces to give local women the workout and support they need, organising Boxing Babes classes.

Nicola and Lucy were not feeling very well after giving birth and are fully aware of the problems that concern new mums.

Lucy, who is a qualified GB boxing tutor, said: “When I had George, my first son, it was the best day of my life, but it was also really tough.

“I developed post-partum anxiety to the point where I would struggle even letting other people hold him, which was quite debilitating and did dramatically affect the social and personal aspects of my life.

“When my second son was two and a half, I found a boxing gym and began training religiously four times a week. This was a game-changer for my mental health, and it reminded me why I had loved it since I was 17 years old.

“Boxing training make me more confident in my decisions as a mother and give me real peace with not being able to be in control of every single thing in my life.”

Nicola, who has been a personal trainer for many years, added: “I have always been about empowering women and making them physically and mentally strong. Our vision for the classes was to improve the mental health of the participants, who, like us, can struggle with some problems."

The Boxing Babes classes, which are a combination of boxing, fitness and self-defence training, started only a few weeks ago but have already gathered a large group of fans.

Lucy said: “We thought it would be brilliant to make a class which involved boxing technique and fundamentals as well as incorporated Nicola’s incredible ability to motivate people in HIIT workouts, and her boxing ability means she is more than capable to take ladies on pads also.”

Nicola said: “Our mind and body workout just took off. We wanted women to try a sport that has predominantly been a male-dominated environment.

“We’re getting amazing feedback from our ladies. They are literally buzzing. They're loving it. They're getting fit, strong and confident.”

Nicola and Lucy aim to frequently invite other instructors to carry out the boxing classes. One of the recent sessions was visited by James Webb, a double MMA champion.

Boxing Babes classes take place at StudioFlex in Ipswich, in Kersey, Hadleigh and Colchester.

The organisers are planning to open more classes across Suffolk and Essex.