Worksop teen Marcus Ellis was first taken to a boxing gym by his dad ten years ago to blow off some steam.

Fast forward a decade and the 15-year-old can count three national titles, a GB silver medal and a European bronze in his ever-growing collection.

And with 34 fights under his belt, Ellis can certainly afford to reflect on some of the highlights so far.

“The Great Britain silver was my first time away with England,” he said.

“It was completely different from anything I’ve ever done - I stayed in a hotel with all the other England boxers, and you were just constantly thinking about boxing the whole time.

“In the Europeans you’re a bit more used to being away, and that was more enjoyable to be honest, that was a lot better, especially because it was out in Romania, it was like a holiday really.

“I’ve always wanted to travel doing boxing, and that was my first step - that was my proudest moment so far.”

But there is still a long way to go, and Ellis is certainly clear about where he wants to in the next few years.

“In my amateur career I just want to get some good titles – the Commonwealths, Europeans and Worlds. As a pro I’d like to win every title there is,” he continued.

“In 2019 I’ll have the Junior Championships. If I win them, I’ll go into European selections and what I want to do is get selected for them and go to the Europeans.”

Ellis’ cause is also being helped by The Nottingham Building Society, who are teaming up with charity SportsAid to support 50 local athletes as they try to find their ‘time to shine’, with each receiving £750 of funding.

Having already donated £240,000 to SportsAid to help athletes buy equipment, travel to competitions and receive the training they need to be the best they can, The Nottingham Building Society are now also helping athletes on the path to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, and beyond.

Paying for equipment, travel and general upkeep has been made easier for Ellis and his family thanks to the grant, all of which serves to help his intensive training routine.

“I train four times a week – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday – and in-between those days I’ll do sprints and running,” he explained.

“I’m going into the Championships (the National Association of Boys and Girls Boxing Championships), so when I’m not training towards anything it’s not so intense.

“At the moment I’m training pretty hard.”

Nottingham Building Society and Harrison Murray teamed up with SportsAid in 2013 to help future sports stars get their time to shine. Visit thenottingham.com to find out more.