TWENTY three members of Wyre Forest Taekwondo club were successful in their grading on Sunday at Ellowes Hall Sports College in Dudley.

The venue saw 90 people from 15 local schools come together for the nationally recognised trial of skill under World Master Paul Donnelly, 8th degree black belt and chief liaison officer for the TAGB.

Students Libby Herbert, Arun Nandra, Lily Showell, Chloe Bird, William Proctor, Ryan Fernihough, Jacob Chorostowska and Alex Kocisova were among those who passed their gradings.

Top students in the grading were Manuela Birchley, Nathan George, Abalena Bytheway, Richard Liu, Danuta Chorostowska, and Georgina Munn, who received an Advanced Pass grade.

The most improved student in grading was Jazmin Connelly who has overcome many obstacles to continue her training and has worked extremely hard to not only meet the standard of her grading but to excel it with a Pass-Plus grade.

Special recognition went to Asha Patel, who started with her family when she was just three years old. Asha was commented on by the grading examiner for her exceptional power for such a young age. Also achieving a pass plus grade were Lydia Jackson, Katie George, Iowna Kocisova, Elliot Munn, Laura North, and James Liddell.

Instructor Katie Billingham said: “We pride ourselves on inclusivity, and we welcome people of all ages and abilities.

"We ask that our students aim to progress their fitness, skill and ability through a structured program of development. Everyone has their own obstacles to overcome, some with limited flexibility due to age, some find it hard to generate the power, others struggle with the routines, and for some, the fear of the grading itself is almost overwhelming, but on Sunday I saw each one of my students face their personal challenge head on and come out victorious."

The local club is not resting yet, as they hit the training even harder this week, supporting the senior club members who head to Bristol this weekend for the National black belt gradings.

For more information about joining Taekwondo, contact Katie Billingham on 07885 293088 or see wyreforesttaekwondo.com