We can hardly contain ourselves as we’ve been shortlisted in two categories in the SME National Business awards! We’re up for Family Business of the Year and Positive Impact of the Year. And it’s all because of our members. We’re in two of the most fiercely coverted categories and have been shortlisted from hundreds of entries from all over the UK.
Family Business of the Year
The judges deemed us worthy of shortlist based on our ability to help our members through the most difficult and best of times. How we provide an environment our members feel safe in and belong. How our instructors are roles models. We are inclusive, trusted and there for all our students to confide in.
Importance of family values
Our family values of honesty, integrity, respect, and trust are vital for teaching combat sports. We ask our members for their unwavering trust, to teaching them martial arts and keep them safe. It can be hard for parents to encourage children to spar, putting them in harm’s way. But our members know that we have their best interests at heart and will look after them like our own family.
Positive Impact of the Year
Our entry showed how we make our members stronger, both physically and mentally, enabling them to conquer all of life’s challenges. Our training helps them overcome personal challenges including dips in confidence due to bullying at school, family breakdowns or diagnoses with conditions such as ADHD. We hear from parents and carers that their children have gone from being marginalised and bullied to confident, self-assured individuals with a solid sense of purpose.
Keeping it in the family
This year, the Martial Arts Instructor University (MAIU) 2022 cohort graduated giving us more family instructor groups than ever before:
- Bex Timms, 5th degree instructor, with her children, Luis, and Jazz. Harry her stepson is part of the MAIU 2023 cohort.
- Steven Wrigglesworth, 3rd degree instructor, and his daughter Kaylee.
- Tony Hill, 5th degree instructor, and his daughter Jazmine.
- Brother and sister Jeet and Ayushi Ganpatlal.
- Richard Pitt recently graduated as an instructor. His son, Stephen, is a Junior Leader with us.
Our members are at the heart of everything we do and what better way to understand them, then by employing them. Our office team has grown exponentially. Our communications manager has two children training with us, our cleaner’s three sons train with us and our compliance manager’s son trains with us.
The ceremony will be taking place at Wembley Arena in December so wish us luck. We’ll keep everyone posted on our social media (Facebook and Instagram) pages.