Crawley Judo Club head coach John Pluckrose, has joined a select group of people in the United Kingdom to be awarded a 6th Dan belt.

The 87-year-old was surprised with the rare honour issued by British Judo to recognise his outstanding lifelong contribution to the sport.

While the move from Kyu grades to Dan grades is considered a step up in technical ability. 6th Dan signifies a further level of achievement and is recognised with the awarding of the prestigious red and white banded belt.

John is one of the founding members of Crawley Judo Club and has been the head coach for more than 50 years.

John still coaches twice a week and has helped the club gain more than 50 Dan grade achievements.

Dozens of John’s former students started to enter the dojo from around 8pm to surprise him after he finished coaching a junior session at the club.

“It was like a family gathering. You like to think that Judo is an individual sport but it isn’t. Although you have to fight as an individual you cannot get anywhere without your group”, John said.

He added: “Coaching is what I enjoy more than anything else now. When you see someone break through it gives you a lot of motivation”.

Crawley Judo Club meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings at Hut 17, Tilgate Recreation Centre, Tilgate Forest, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 5PH. For more information on Crawley Judo Club visit their website at www.crawleyjudo.co.uk.