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The following articles appeared in local newspapers in support of the project.
Special pupils sit martial arts test by Caroline Page Children at a special-needs school near Aberdeen were flaunting their newly found martial arts skills yesterday. around 30 pupils at Marlpool School, Bucksburn, sat their first Choi Kwang Do exam under the supervision of instructor Brian Jay. They have been enjoying classes each Thursday for the past few months and have done so well they were ready for their first grading.
Mr Jay, who teaches the same number of special-needs pupils at Hazlewood School on Fridays, decided to offer his coaching services to the schools for free after being inspired by how it helped his 12-year-old partially sighted son, James. The 43-year-old, of Corennie Circle, Dyce, who started a Choi Kwang Do school at Dyce four years ago, said: "The reason this came about was more to do with James than anything else. He kept being turned away from sports clubs and excluded because of his disability. I had already been doing Choi Kwang Do for some years and was looking to start up some classes so opened up the school at Dyce to teach him." The school now teaches around 50 children, eight of whom have special needs, and James is a first degree black belt in the martial art. Mr Jay said: "When I talked to the parents of these children, I found their stories were similar to mine in that their kids were often turned away from taking part in sports. The results you get out of these kids is amazing when you actually take away the barriers and tell them to get on with it. They love it and it gives them so much confidence. I just want to make sure everyone is able to get access to this because it gives them self-confidence, a sense of achievement and overall fitness. It has made such a difference with my son and if I can do it with him I can do it with others, as long as they are happy to learn." Yesterday, the second degree black belt, who is also an associate examiner, supervised the grading alongside Violet Mackie, a third degree black belt and one of only three chief examiners in Scotland. The coaching has been paid through sponsorship from Dyce Rotary Club, Aberdeen Harbour Board, Nyetech and PCT. This has covered the cost of membership to Choi Kwang Do Martial Art International and uniforms, but further sponsorship will be needed to pay for the children to sit their grades. back to top
Cash boost at Marlpool reporters@aberdeen-indy.co.uk Young martial arts students at Marlpool school, Bucksburn, have received a financial boost from local Rotarians. The children have been receiving weekly lessons in Choi Kwang-Do since April. Aberdeen-based coach Brian Jay visits the school each week to take the hour-long sessions, which are open to all pupils, from age five to 18.
The Rotary Club of Dyce has donated £250 to the school, which has been used to help most of the pupils become members of the school's Choi Kwang-Do club. Others received sponsorship from Dyce Choi Kwang-Do Club. While some of the children take lessons simply for fun, they have the option of achieving gradings, allowing them to move up the ranks and achieve different coloured belts. The school is hoping to attract more sponsorship to help the children develop their Choi Kwang-Do skills. back to top