A Cumbrian karate master is raising funds to help his students compete at international events.
Mark Holding is the founder and chief instructor at Mitsuru Karate that runs seven clubs across Cumbria, specialising in Wado Ryu Karate, a Japanese martial art, founded in 1934 by Grandmaster Hironori Otsuka.
Mark, who is currently ranked 7th Dan and has practiced karate for nearly five decades, recently launched a fundraiser to battle the 'financial constraints' facing his students who are ready to take their martial arts development to the next level and compete in European competitions.
Through his GoFundMe page, Mark is aiming to raise £2,500 to cover tournament entry fees, accommodation costs, and travel expenses.
To date, Mark has already raised £445.
In the midst of his fundraising efforts, Mark explained why he feels it is so important that his students have access to karate competitions in countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Hungary.
"Our students have got to qualify for these tournaments and once that is sorted, it is trying to fund them to get their flights, accommodation, and entry fees," he said, speaking to the News & Star.
"Without this funding, their progression is limited. Because we [UK] are an island, Europe is miles ahead of us on the karate front and we end up being the poor cousins.
"For our students to improve, we have got to compete in higher level international competitions and that means we have got to travel abroad a lot.
"For us, travelling is a nightmare and it becomes expensive so this fundraiser is about alleviating the costs where we can.
"Its about developing our fighters. I've got a dozen that are on the England team but we have got a new batch that we hoping to develop as well."
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