Deputy Mayor’s praise for work of local Shogun ju-jitsu club

Councillor Blair was delighted to spend the afternoon at the Rathenraw Community Centre facility presenting the girls and boys with their certificates, medals and special awards and join in the children’s photographic family portraits.

‘Mini-Sensei’ Ella presented a special gift to the Deputy Mayor on behalf of / alongside her Mini-Sensei team and for all the students from Antrim, Ballymena and Randalstown Ju-Jitsu Clubs grading on the day, to say thank you for his time in coming along and making their day very special.

Deputy Mayor Blair said: “I was delighted, both as Deputy Mayor and on behalf of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, to attend the Shogun Ju-Jitsu prize giving day and meet many of those involved in this excellent project.

The enthusiasm of the young participants and prize winners, together with the commitment of Paul, Mandi and other coaches, volunteers and organisers, showed clearly how positive and worthwhile the programme is. I am pleased that Council has supported this programme and I am hopeful that the well-deserved support will continue into the future”.

Master Paul Timperley, National Ju-Jitsu Coach, was pleased to summarise the day’s events; “I would like to sincerely thank Deputy Mayor Councilor John Blair for spending the afternoon with us at our big grading event in Rathenraw Community Centre today, in the very heart of the Antrim Community. The girls and boys from our clubs were all very excited and delighted to receive their presentations from such an honest and delightfully community spirited man. It is wonderful to see that councilors from the new Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council see the involvement of children in sport as high priority which is very refreshing”.

Sensei Mandi was delighted at how well the children had performed and what they achieved on the day. She congratulates all the successful children; “Well done to all the boys and girls who passed their belts today and also to the lucky children who won awards as they totally deserved them. Congratulations to Chris, Ella, Charli, Erin, Lijana, Scott, Owen, Reaghan, Eimantas, Adam and Ashton for their dedication and excellent class attendances which they were rewarded for by winning Gold and Silver Attendance Certificates and Prizes. Also a special Congratulations to Cailean, Aiobhin, Ceri, Owen, Lijana and Erin for winning their student Merit Awards & Silver Medals.”

Sensei Mandi concludes; “The Ju-Jitsu Champions Cups and Gold Medals were awarded to Ella and Dylan. Congratulations to both children who thoroughly deserved it for their very hard work put into training over recent months and the noticeable improvement shown. Keep it up kids!”

Shogun Ju-Jitsu, an established and well known group of sports clubs in County Antrim, work very hard in the heart of the Antrim (and surrounding) community to offer opportunities for children, teenagers and adults of all abilities to get involved in sport and join in the community spirit of their Ju-Jitsu Clubs and community sports events. As part of their Sport NI Clubmark Accreditation, Shogun Ju-Jitsu incorporates a volunteer learning programme with accreditation and reward for mums, dads and family members connected with their clubs.

Sensei Paul comments, “Our volunteers are an extremely valuable part of our club structure who are very highly thought of by Mandi and myself, as we could not do what we do in the community without their help. We have designed and implemented a structured learning process for each volunteer to help them develop and progress, bespoke to each person’s needs and wants which receives recognition and certification from us at various levels of progression and achievement.” Paul continues;

“A big thank you & very well done to our current Volunteer Team of Gillian, Shirley, Caitlin, Sinead and Gavin who received their certificates today. Congratulations to Caitlin on completing and passing her Level-1 Volunteer Assistant Certificate. Also Congratulations to Gillian and Shirley on completing and passing their Levels-1 & 2 Volunteer Assistant Certificates.

Anyone 16 years and over who is thinking of obtaining volunteering experience please get in contact by telephone on 028 9448 8461 or by visiting our website www.shogun-jujitsu-ireland.com