Written by Jean & Graham Knowles, Founders of Altrincham Judo Club

Turning fourteen marked a turning point in my life, when I decided to embark on a new adventure – taking up judo. My local dojo became my second home as I stepped into the world of throws, holds, and discipline whilst improving my fitness and growing in confidence.

In 1985, I opened Altrincham Judo Club with the help and support of my husband Graham and a close friend. By opening the club, I hoped it could be a way where others could be encouraged to gain confidence in themselves. Since then, we have been successfully running sessions out of Altrincham Leisure Centre.

In October 2022, we were hit with the news that Altrincham Leisure Centre was set to close two months later for refurbishment work which could take between one to two years to complete. I was devastated as the mats we used for our sessions belonged to another martial arts club who had planned to move to an alternative which wasn’t suitable for Judo.

Having been brought up to understand if we couldn’t afford something then we didn’t get it, I didn’t know which way to turn. I have never asked for money from anyone and have always run the club not as a way to make money, but to get children exercising instead of sitting playing games on their tablets.

The risk of the club closing wouldn’t have just affected us, but it would have also affected all our club members who had a passion of practicing judo. I spoke to a British Judo Association Northwest Committee member who suggested I contacted one of the British Judo Club Support Officers for advice.

I spoke with Nick Shepherd who listened to our predicament and suggested putting forward the case to Sport England for financial support.

With the club at risk of closing altogether, we put forward our Together Fund application for one hundred new mats as well as two new safety mats. We had everything crossed and waited for a response.

In December 2022, only two months after finding out our club was at risk of closing, we received an email saying that our grant of £8,088 had been successful. I just broke down in tears as after almost 40 years of running Altrincham Judo Club since 1985, I didn’t want to see it shut through no fault of my own.

The mats were paid for and delivered to Stretford Sports Centre and our club was saved, reopening on 3rd February this year. Thank you, Sport England! Although some of our original members didn’t want to travel from the Altrincham area to Stretford, we have had several new judoka join us from around the Stretford area. So, once again, a big THANK YOU to Sport England for saving our club.