Oliver Sykes' mum left when he was just nine-years-old. It meant his dad was left to raise him and his five young siblings singlehandedly.
It was a tough time. Growing up in poverty on a council estate in the Peak District town of Chapel-en-le-Frith, there wasn't much money to go round.
"For the first eight weeks after mum left dad couldn't get income support, so he couldn't really afford to feed us," said Oliver, 33. "A farmer gave us some eggs and dad managed to buy some flour and lemon juice, so for the first few weeks we just ate pancakes, that's all. It was a really difficult time.
"I think a lot of children are feeling the same thing now - going to sleep hungry, not knowing where your next meal's coming from."
To help make ends meet Oliver's dad Christopher would also take the kids rabbiting and ferreting in the fields around their home, catching food to cook for tea. "It was very much catch, kill and cook," said Oliver. "It was like the film Captain Fantastic. When that came out all our family thought it was really funny, because that's what we used to do."
Oliver found an escape from the problems at home in the boxing ring. His dad, who's of Romani heritage, was a coach at nearby Buxton ABC and Oliver discovered a talent for the fight game at an early age.
And it also brought a father and son whose bond was already strong, even closer together.
"We are probably as close as a father and son can be," said Oliver. "A lot of kids when they're having their first fight get really, really nervous, but I never did because I knew my dad was in my corner and that made me feel almost invincible."
Oliver had almost 50 fights as a schoolboy, including a large number of unlicensed bouts at events like the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria. But his dreams of turning pro were shattered when, aged 17, he was attacked in a skate park by a gang of six lads.
Among other injuries he suffered a loss of feeling and permanent damage to his right hand. It proved to be a turning point in his life.
Inspired by his book-loving dad Oliver decided to focus on his other great passion - the theatre. As a teenager he'd had several bit parts in productions at school and the local am-dram society and loved the thrill of writing and performing.
He got a place studying theatre at Lancaster University, eventually graduating with first class honours. After leaving university he took a job working on a production line of a factory manufacturing brake part in his home town, but all the time he was desperately trying to get into the theatre world.
His big break came when he got a bursary for high-achieving arts graduates from low-income families and took on a paid internship at Contact theatre in Manchester. In a decade as a theatre producer there he worked with the likes of Sophie Willan, creator and star of Bolton-based, Bafta Award winning sitcom Alma's Not Normal.
Now he's branched out on his own. This weekend he begins a 50 date nationwide tour of his one man show Alfie's First Fight. Based on his debut novel of the same name, the play tells the story of a shy twelve-year-old boy whose older brother goes missing moments before the biggest boxing match of his life.
The story is inspired by Oliver's own childhood. But when it came to pitching the book to publishers the boxing plot meant most rejected it out of hand.
"There is this perception that boxing is these rugged men getting kids to fight each other, but that couldn't be further from the truth," said Oliver, who has recently moved from Chorlton to Wales. "I learnt so much from boxing. Respect for others, resilience, the importance of community, work ethic. There is so much that boxing can give to children.
"It's finding a space where they can be with like-minded people, a place where they feel like they belong. They find that self worth in the gym."
And while the switch from the ring to the stage might be seem a strange one, Oliver says there are lots of similarities between the two disciplines. "I grew up watching videos of Prince Naseem and Muhammad Ali and was blown away by how they spoke, how they performed.
"A lot of people are surprised by me going from boxing into the theatre. It seems like they are worlds apart, but it never felt like a barrier to me because I'd seen Ali performing."
Alfie's First Fight opens on Saturday at Burnley Youth Theatre on Saturday, February 11, it will then tour theatres, libraries and boxing clubs across the country, including several dates in Greater Manchester. For more details visit oliver-sykes.com.
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