A KICKBOXING club in Tenbury has fought its way through Covid-19 so far and come out the other side stronger.

The kickboxing club founded by Peter Jones has continued to succeed despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Founded originally in 2004 The Kajuen Ryu is named for Tenbury as it translates to The Orchard School.

During the pandemic the club moved from their old venue to the new studio at Tenbury Swimming Pool where they have been welcomed and enjoy the support of the staff there as well as clean and safe facilities.

There was a major refurbishment at the pool last year with better and more modern facilities.

When they could not train in person due to lockdowns they moved to the Zoom platform on the internet and continued to make progress.

This use of technology was highlighted in the first session after Christmas when the club hosted a seminar with renowned expert on self-protection Jamie Clubb where the students were at the swimming pool and the instructor was in his dojo in Oxfordshire.

The seminar covered details of the use of various guards in combat sports and they were joined via the internet by friends from around the country as well as Ireland and Denmark.

As the club has evolved, in recent months it has undergone changes to the material and now operates as “Combat Kickboxing” so explores material outside of traditional kickboxing including ground grappling, weapons defence and practical self-protection.

In 2021 Mr Jones, a nurse formerly working at Tenbury Hospital, was inducted in the UK Black Belt Hall of Fame and was commended for successfully maintaining his clubs around the area through the pandemic and providing support to his students.

The club is open to everyone aged over six years.

In 2022 the club hopes to continue to thrive, attract new students and begin entering competitions.