Following a 15 month recovery from covid, which included members of the BOP Tae Kwon-Do group achieving national and regional championship competition medals, the 2023 season has got off to a good start for the Tae Kwon -Do clubs of Bude, Okehampton and Plymouth, with their first of four gradings of the year.

Held at Launceston College on February 4, with the grading examiner, Grand Master Michael Dew travelling from Weston-super-Mare, a total of 35 students from five clubs from across the area gathered at Launceston College for their assessment.

Of those that graded from the Bude and Okehampton clubs, a staggering 50 percent managed to gain a higher-than-average pass rate, with ‘A’ passes going to Chris Stephens, Elliot Prettejohn and Seth Prettejohn. Seth, pictured above in the front row – third from the right, collected the best student award. This is awarded to the student with the highest standard overall on the day.

Instructor Guy Southard , a 6th degree Master of Tae Kwon-Do said: ‘Covid 19 was the scourge of many small clubs, and some sadly didn’t manage to survive, but largely due to our tenets — perseverance being one — we have kept our flags flying and our spirits high.’

He added: ‘Whilst it is true, we have lost many of our followers during the pandemic, the ones that have remained are the ones with commitment, perseverance and indomitable spirit, some of the key ingredients for a successful martial artist.

‘We are very proud of our students and their high standards and have great plans for our growing numbers. With our first competition of the year in only a few weeks time we are hoping for a good year.’