November 12, 2018

We are delighted to announce that Cumbria Taekwondo Kendal has been awarded Clubmark - the national kite mark status for community sports clubs.

Clubmark is Sport England’s cross-sport quality accreditation for clubs with junior sections. Active Cumbria can award clubs that are affiliated to a National Governing Body of Sport (NGB) that does not have a license themselves. It is the only nationally recognised 'kite-mark' for sports clubs to show children, parents, schools and local facilities that a sports club offers a safe, and quality assured environment for juniors. 

With an increasing number of children accessing sporting opportunities outside of school it is vital that these clubs serve young people well. Clubmark not only provides quality assurance but can also transform a club, making it more vibrant, visible and accessible to its local community. As a single national standard to which all clubs aspire, Clubmark give all types of sports clubs structure and direction. Clubs awarded Clubmark see tangible benefits through gaining accreditation, such as club development, developing coaches and volunteers, increased membership and raised profile. Clubmark also gives parents the confidence that their child is accessing a high quality junior club.

Cumbria Taekwondo Kendal was launched way back in 1972 by Master Percy Gill, who taught a handful of local lads one of which, Master Phil James (7^th Dan) took over the reins for the next 30 years expanding the club and producing some fantastic competitors & many senior black belts. Today & for the past 10 years the club is being run by one of Master James’s Pupils, Master Beverley Fallows (6^th Dan) along with assistant coaches, James Wilkinson, Sharon Titterington, Adam Hayton & Chris Briggs. Over the past 10 years the club has gone from strength to strength, with various classes for different age groups & an ever growing membership base.  Beverley said:

“Taekwondo has been part of my life for the past 33 years & has made me who I am today. The benefits of learning this martial art (or any sport to be honest) is amazing, from health benefits including: increased strength & stamina, confidence, flexibility, agility, concentration & self –esteem as well as leadership skills and my personal favourite, fantastic friends for life!. Our aim at the club is to make Taekwondo accessible to all who wish to give this fantastic martial art a go.”

As the club has grown, so have the classes, from the fun introductory newly re-named Iron Monkeys sessions for 5-7yr olds, to the Junior Development (8-11yrs) and Senior (12yrs+) classes; all overseen by the clubs many experienced senior coaches headed by Bev Fallows. The club also regularly attends competitions throughout the country for those with an interest in fighting and we also hold extra seminar/training days with the other clubs within the ‘Cumbria Taekwondo’ group.

On the recent success gaining clubmark status, Beverley said:

“When I first took over the running of the club ten years ago I quickly realised we needed a better structure in place in order for us to grow & gain new members, which we set about & did successfully, but we wanted to achieve even more & be the best run club we could be. So we started the Clubmark process which made us re-evaluate everything we were doing. We established a committee made up of parent volunteers all with the same vision to keep improving what we are doing and achieving our vision as a club moving forward”.

Becky Underwood (Development Officer at Active Cumbria) who assessed the club for its Clubmark status on the new & update online system said “Cumbria Taekwondo Kendal works hard to ensure that the club runs to the highest standards. The club has committed and well trained coaches and volunteers, each session is well planned and varied. The club’s members clearly love developing their Taekwondo skills, and the Clubmark accreditation was well deserved.

Active Cumbria works hard to develop clubs within the county, giving people access to high quality coaching and sports provision. Clubmark is increasingly recognised as a mark of high quality, and these are the clubs that we endorse. Clubmark clubs demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding children, they have well developed progression routes for children wishing to excel in their sport and have suitably trained coaches and volunteers. Not only will Clubmark improve standards of sports clubs in the county, it will also help drive up participation, making more people more active, more often.  Cumbria Taekwondo Kendal club is an excellent example of what a Clubmark Club should look like.  

If your club wishes to gain Clubmark accreditation, you will be supported by ourselves at Active Cumbria. For more information, contact Becky Underwood on 07717 586430 or email becky.underwood@cumbria.gov.uk

For more information on Clubmark, visit www.sportenglandclubmatters.com/club-mark