MEMBERS of a crisis-hit Hythe kickboxing club are now the envy of their rival team-mates, thanks to two generous donations.

The Daily Echo ran an appeal for sponsors earlier this year to highlight the plight of the Hythe Dragons, pictured, who were struggling after a vandal attack in September 2003.

The group lost equipment worth £4,000 in a blaze, believed to have been started by arsonists, which destroyed the Queen Elizabeth II Sports Hall in Blackfield.

The Dragons lost a new boxing ring and piles of safety mats, which are crucial to their training.

The club also needed funds to buy kit which many of its members could not afford to buy themselves.

The Royal Navy came to the rescue by splashing out about £600 on smart new red, white and blue competition suits. Esso and ExxonMobil also saved the day by donating more than £1,000, which has been spent on safety mats and club tracksuits.

The club's founder and secretary, Neil Crouch, told the Daily Echo: "The new kit has made a lot of clubs very envious.

"Although members wore club T-shirts before, it wasn't the right image to put forward. Now they look very professional. It has made a big difference to their morale."

The Dragons, who meet every Friday at the Jubilee Hall in Fawley, also received a number of smaller donations from local companies.

For more information on the club, call Neil Crouch on 023 8084 1634.