boxers, Belarus and a Hollywood legend – inside The Together Plan

By Debra Brunner

Working in community building across the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe often takes you to the most unexpected of places. Somehow, our name, The Together Plan, continues to live up to its promise. Here’s the story.

A week before New Year’s Eve, I received a message from Artur Livshyts in Minsk. For those who don’t know Artur, he is my counterpart in Belarus. We are two sides of the same coin. We started the charity together in 2013, but have been working together since 2009. His message was a question: could we put together a team of teenagers to compete in a Ninja Warriors-style sports competition called ‘Heroes’ on Belarusian television in 2026?

At first, I was perplexed. The application deadline was December 31, just days away, in the middle of the holiday season. My initial response was a polite “no”! How could we possibly find a team in seven days and what did it have to do with our charity mission? But Artur insisted that if we thought it was even remotely possible, the deadline might be extended and that it would be a great project to be a part of and a wonderful opportunity for British kids. Then I noticed the participant ages: 12 to 14 years old, the very age group we work with in our Making History Together programme.

This year, we are updating the programme which teaches young people about the hidden history of the Holocaust in the Soviet Union. Our aim is to make it accessible for non-Jewish audiences. With our new team member, Olivia Boyd joining us for the next eight months to work on this project, it felt almost serendipitous that this incredible opportunity had appeared, to give British kids an opportunity of a lifetime and a chance for us to expand our programme to children outside of the Jewish community. But the question remained: where would we find our team?

enter Lewis James Phillips

Lewis joined The Together Plan in 2025 as our Holocaust Research & Creative Media Volunteer. Outside of his volunteering, as a landscape and documentary photographer, Lewis is currently creating a series of art history photography books on the Holocaust. But his previous work, interviewing world-renowned boxers, inspired me to reach out for guidance. (Click here for more about Lewis James Phillips).

Lewis immediately connected us to The Pedro Club, a youth sports and boxing club in East London, and to the coach, retired professional boxer Derek “SweetD” Williams. After several conversations with Derek and the trustees, we pitched the idea: four young people, two girls, two boys, could participate in a TV show in Belarus while also taking part in the Making History Together programme. The focus would be on resilience, learning from the bravery of Soviet partisans making parallels to the resilience cultivated through sports.

meeting the legends

In early February, Artur travelled from Belarus, Lewis from Wales, and together we went to The Pedro Club to meet Derek Williams, who famously fought Lennox Lewis in 1992.

What we encountered exceeded all expectations. Derek, a gentle giant standing 6’5”, greeted us warmly and proudly showed us around the club, a gritty, soulful space, almost like a boxing museum, with walls plastered with memorabilia, posters, and icons. It felt like stepping into a scene from Rocky. Gloves went on, and soon we were in the ring; me, Artur, and Lewis facing off against ‘SweetD’! Click here to watch us in the ring with Derek Williams!

And then in walked Maurice Hope OBE, the British former professional boxer who represented Great Britain at the 1972 Munich Olympics and later became the WBC world junior middleweight champion, one of the first Black British immigrants to win a world title. Hope shared stories of his career and experiences, including witnessing the tragic events at the 1972 Munich Olympics where 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed, moments that connected history, resilience, and sport in a profoundly human way.

the hidden history of The Pedro Club

Beyond the boxing, we discovered the hidden history of The Pedro Club and the legacy of the late James Cook MBE. Established in 1929 by Baroness Harwood the Pedro Club was revived in the 1960’s with the support of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who served as a patron up until her death in March 2011. Today the Hackney based club remains as one of the oldest functioning youth clubs in London. James Cook a local resident and former British Super-Middleweight Champion, was alerted to the plight of the Pedro Club and set about organising a rescue programme. A new management committee was formed and due to their arduous efforts the club reopened in 2003. In June 2007 James Cook was awarded an MBE within the Queen’s Honours List for Services to Youth Justice in the borough of Hackney and up until his recent death James dedicated his life to helping others within the community.

A modest gallery along the stairwell showcases the club’s 97-year story, including its ties to Elizabeth Taylor. Her story resonated deeply with us. She converted to Judaism in 1959, a decision shaped by personal conviction and her desire to stand in solidarity with the Jewish people after the Holocaust. She became a lifelong advocate for Israel, Soviet Jewry, and she fought against antisemitism! This was what caught our attention the most. She was an activist whose path intersects with our activism.  It felt almost miraculous to make this discovery here in the heart of Hackney in a place she truly believed in!

continuing the journey

The following day, we attended the London Ex-Boxers’ Association monthly meeting in central London, reuniting with Derek Williams and Maurice Hope, and meeting legends including John Conteh and Wayne Alexander. It was a fascinating, welcoming network that opened a whole new world for us.

We are now preparing for our Pedro Club team to travel to Belarus for a once-in-a-lifetime experience this May, and for us to return to the club to run the Making History Together programme, teaching young people about the resilience of Soviet Jews, the dangers of antisemitism, the roles we play within society, the shared responsibility we carry – for memory, for justice, and for one another and the ways history helps us become the best versions of ourselves. I believe the giants on whose shoulders this club was built, among them James Cook MBE and Dame Elizabeth Taylor, would have embraced this initiative, and we hope that together we can make them proud.

What a story!

let the adventure begin!