Ayr Taekwondo club members were among over 130 students from throughout Ayrshire who recently sat a colour belt grading after months of hard work in preparation.

Taekwondo is a dynamic martial art that is great for fitness, self defence and self confidence.

The martial art involves the application of punches, kicks, blocks and movements with the hand, arms, legs and feet to overcome an opponent.

The students at the Ayr club have been honing their skills in all of these areas in recent months in order to pass their grading.

Their grading involves testing all of their skills in order to earn their next belt and progress through the ranks of the club.

Grand Master Paul Donnelly, of the Taekwondo Association of Great Britain (TAGB) travelled up from England to put the students through their paces.

The Taekwondo Association of Great Britain is Europe’s largest single martial arts organisation, with over 20,000 members training in over 600 clubs throughout the UK.

Several of its members saw success in their recent gradings with the Ayr club no different with lots of happy faces pleased to pick up their next belt.

No one was more pleased than Mark Sawyer, 3rd Degree Black Belt, who is the instructor at the Ayr club and says he was delighted with his student’s showing.

He said: “The students performed really well and I was very happy with the application and effort from all my members.

“Their hard work maintains the high standards we have here at Ayr Taekwondo Club.

“Several of my students had particularly strong gradings.

“James Hamilton was excellent and he was awarded best in grading.”

Training in Tae Kwon-Do can start at any age and stage with the Ayr club welcoming any new members.

Students start as young as 4-5 and recently one of the TAGB members gained his fifth dan black belt on his 70th birthday.

Ayr Taekwondo train at Queen Margaret Academy in Ayr on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

If any readers are interested in joining the club then contact Mark Sawyer at Ayr Taekwondo Club (TAGB) on 07795312505 or via the club website ayrtkd.com