Creating community through martial arts.

Hello,

We are trying to rebuild our martial arts club in Alexandra Park in Epsom.

The club has been there since 1998, and we are proud to say it is now part of the community. We teach Kung Fu, Kickboxing, and Tai Chi. We have members aged from 4 years to in their late 70s.

We pride ourselves on being a fully inclusive, diverse, multicultural, and family-run martial arts club.

Our aim is to provide a welcoming, fun environment for everyone. We support members and their families with their physical and mental health. We have many SEND students for whom we cater for with a fun and safe learning environment.

It is important that we have a healthy and positive influence to the teens and young adults in our community. By doing so we offer a safe space to socialise, exercise and stay out of trouble.

We also work with ONE sports club to provide free training for low income families.

Our Tai Chi class provides a social outlet for the elderly members of our community, aiding with their mobility, wellness and quality of life.

The community aspect of our club is very important to us, we consider ourselves a family as much as we do a club with members who have been with us for 20+ years.

As well as providing a welcoming space for the community to exercise and learn a new skill, the addition of the club being located in Alexandra Park has reduced the level of anti-social activity in the park. Adults classes finish between 9 and 10pm, which deters antisocial behaviour.

It's not to say there isn’t any other martial arts clubs in Epsom, but Nam Yang's lineage goes back to 1954 when it was founded in Singapore. Epsom was the UK headquarters for a multi national martial arts club.

Nam Yang Epsom has performed for the queen and taken part in the Chinese New Year parade in London a few times too.

Epsom is the longest running UK branch of Nam Yang. Many former students who have set up their own clubs around the country started off at Epsom. We have had members compete nationally and internationally in competitions and they have won some impressive titles.

Funding:

Our old martial arts club in the park was knocked down in August, and planning permission has been granted for a new building.

Epsom and Ewell council has put £170k towards this project and are fully behind supporting our club.

Nam Yang Epsom was one of the five out of 35 that was chosen for funding.

Unfortunately, due to the increasing cost of materials, when the tender came back, the funding came up a little short by £80k.

We are looking for some more funds to help us get fully up and running again so we can continue to support all members of our community.

All the hard work has been done. By making a donation towards our target, you will be enabling us to make this happen.

Thank you so much for reading.

Planning application report

https://eplanning.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=RZ0Y1IGY0BY00

Website

https://martialartsepsom.com/

Update: We have lowered our target amount to make this feel more achievable.

We are currently waiting to hear back from Surrey County Council to find out if we can access additional funding from them.

All your support is greatly appreciated.