A Hythe kickboxing club is appealing for sponsors after a fire believed to have been started by arsonists destroyed £4,000 of its equipment.

The blaze razed the Queen Elizabeth II Sports Hall in Blackfield to the ground in September 2003.

The Hythe Dragons now meet at the Jubilee Hall in Fawley on Fridays and have received a number of grants after the blaze to help them carry on.

Founder and secretary Neil Croucher said: "We haven't really recovered from it. We lost a brand new boxing ring and the hall was completely matted out. It was all practically brand new."

The club has since received a £2,000 grant from the Dibden Allotments Charity to buy a new boxing ring and various other donations have helped the club to purchase some new mats.

Mr Croucher said: "Getting some sponsors would make a big difference to the club. At the moment we have only got enough mats for one small area of safe training. We need the whole hall matted out, ideally."

The club would also like funds to buy kit which many its their members cannot always afford.

"Getting a proper kit with a company logo on it would also be great because at the moment the kids are just training in T-shirts and tracksuit bottoms," added Mr Croucher.

Hythe Dragons currently have about 30 members on their books, most aged from four to 16.

For more information on sponsoring the club, contact Neil Croucher on 023 8084 1634.

Fawley Parish Council has now submitted a planning application to build a new hall at Blackfield.