White Lotus Martial Arts based in Lydney and Parkend have had a fantastic weekend at the WKO European Championships. “We had lots of gold silver and bronze medals but more importantly each fighter challenged themselves and worked so well as part of a team, looking after and supporting each other,” said coach Michelle Gardiner.

“I would really like to highlight two of our young female fighters. Josephine Sheppard (10) and Lily Morgan ( 10 ). These two young ladies have overcome challenges in the sport showing resilience and building confidence.

“Josie is a very new fighter and has had some tough fights because she is tall for her age and often has to fight older girls. This weekend she won a gold and two silvers.

“Lily is an experienced fighter who is small for her age and has just gone up into the 10-12 year olds. She will have a bit of a battle on her hands for a couple of years and she still came away with four silver medals showing her best fighting ever with great ring craft and footwork.

“A massive shout out to their families too who have been so supportive in a tough sport. As a coach I’m very proud of them both and the whole team,” said Michelle.

White Lotus Martial Arts and Fitness was founded in 2000 by Michelle whose years of training and experience inspired her to create a club that centres on the students without restriction from administrative and financial aspects.

Students benefit from the encouragement of a strong team of dedicated students and individual support from instructors. The White Lotus Club has developed their own personal style within Freestyle Kickboxing, combining the most effective techniques from the various styles Instructors have trained in over many years.