Initially I took my son Josh to karate at Margaret Beaufort School and used to stay and watch the lessons. People of various ages were learning, including some 'mums' and I thought it looked interesting, so I asked if I could join the sessions. I had been looking for a sport or hobby to do, but nothing had really appealed to me until now.
So I started training in the autumn of 2000 with Sensei Andrew Parker at Riseley, which was with TASK at that time. The club joined CFTS in late 2002 and I graded to 4th Kyu in December 2002. I started going to Clapham Club, which gave me lots of new people to train with, and I’ve made many good friends, both at Clapham and Riseley. With the help of these friends and the patience of Sensei James Saunders and Sensei Eddie McClagish, I was finally awarded my Shodan in October 2006. This was an incredible feeling and a day I will never forget. I’ve never been so nervous before and thought I might not be able to grade, through an injury a few weeks beforehand. I’m not the only person to have suffered injuries and other people inspire me to keep going, despite a sometimes protesting body!
I hope to continue training, along with my younger son Sam. I’ve enjoyed various courses over the years and look forward to attending many more. I’d like to help where I can, as well as strive for self-improvement.
Finally, I’d like to thank my husband Kevin for his tolerance of me disappearing off to training, particularly the levels required to reach Shodan. I would never have done it without his support.
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