Brian Hughes M.B.E.

“I’m standing here amongst some of the highest dignatories in the land, and thinking ‘What the hell is a scruffy, snotty nosed kid from Collyhurst doing standing here before the future King of England waiting to be invested as a Member of the Order of the British Empire?’”

Brian Hughes MBE grew up in Sand Street, Collyhurst, near the fifty three steps which lead to ‘Barney’s Hills’ an area where most local kids used to play. He was born at a time when World War Two was raging around us.

Brian is nothing if not a very honest man. He said that he didn’t know his father because he was illegitimate. In those days to be born out of wedlock was looked upon as very sinful, if not downright criminal. The stigma plagued him for most of his young life.

Brian didn’t make much headway as a scholar; he was always playing wag (truant). He was the eldest of a family of six. His mam had two jobs as a cleaner; one in the mornings and one in the evenings. He recalled an occasion when it was snowing and his shoes had holes in the soles. His mam took him to a welfare to see if she could get some clogs for him. At the welfare she was told by an official-looking man that she should get extra work to buy Brian some footwear.

Another indignity Brian had to endure was to have to go to the front of the class at school to get a ticket for free dinners. That gave an opening to taunts and sneers from those kids in a position to pay.

With a pal, Brian used to chop up old railway sleepers to sell as fire-wood. From the money they got they were able to go to the local cinemas and that’s where he first fell in love, (with boxing). He would eagerly wait for the ‘Pathe News’ to come on the screen because there were usually boxing matches shown. He didn’t reckon big sloppy films at all.

When he became a member of Hugh Oldham Lads’ Club, he found out that there was a very good gym at Lily Lane School in the evenings, so off he went to enrol. He was asked where he lived and said “Just down the road.” He thought it would go against his chances if he said Collyhurst. Permission had to be got from his mam to let him take up boxing. He later got a ticking off from the man running the boxing club, for being ashamed to say he was from Collyhurst. He has always been proud of the fact ever since.

After he had been a boxer for a while, Brian was advised by a doctor that he risked losing his hearing if he continued. Wisely, he heeded the advice and although still keen, he no longer ‘mixed it’ in the ring.
After serving as a seaman he returned to his roots and took up training youngsters to box. He saw some kids having a ‘set-to’ in the Collyhurst Flats archway. He called them over and told them to join one of the lads’ clubs to learn how to box properly. Incidents like this were a spur to Brian’s intentions.

He told me that training youngsters has been a long, continual and enjoyable activity. It is rewarding to see potential villains diverted and finding a worthwhile interest in sport.

Brian didn’t marry until he was in his thirties. He always considered himself an ugly duckling. However, he does have a smashing wife called Rosemarie who is well educated (not like Brian) and she has made sure their children got a good education too. They have reached honours degree standards, and even though he has coached young men into the high champion standards, Brian as a father is more proud of his childrens’ achievements.

The chief coach of “Collyhurst Boxing Academy” has taken youngsters off the streets. He gets visits from former members of the club and they thank him for what he did for them and they are able to set examples to their children too.

Overcoming his poor education, Brian Hughes has proved to be no mean author. He has completed five books and one of them is placed in the top forty publications.

So the scruffy kid from Collyhurst made something of himself and our future King gave him the M.B.E.