Bala Judo Club

We are raising funds for Bala Judo Club (www.balajudo.cymru).

Based at Ysgol Godre’r Berwyn in Bala (www.ysgolgodrerberwyn.cymru), we are a brand new start-up club working closely with Autistic Haven CIC (autistichaven.co.uk) to provide facilities and coaching for judo players in north-west Wales.

Judo is not just a sport. It is also a community which prides itself on its inclusivity and its care for the welfare of its athletes. At Bala, we are making a particular effort to accommodate players who have ASD and other impairments.

We hope to start training sessions from the middle of November but, before we can do that, we need to have a proper, safe training area.

A brand new set of mats could cost as much as £15,000 but we're looking to buy used ones and spend a bit of time and effort refurbishing them, hence the much smaller target amount.

In addition to the mats, we shall be purchasing other items of training equipment as well as judogi (judo uniforms) that can be used by new players (particularly children) who are trying the sport for the first time and want to see how they get on before committing to buying their own.

Any funds that may remain shall be used to support players who are going to competitions or gaining coaching qualifications and training for other members who wish to support the club in various capacities.