Biggar Taekwon-do students become black belts

Juniors Dylan Paterson, Isla Aitken, Olivia Godfrey and Lyle Godfrey joined adult member Robbie Leitch in showing off their perfect literary skills and marvellous martial arts moves when performing patterns and sparring during a two-hour grading in Bristol.

“I’m absolutely delighted that the five club members have managed to get their black belts,” said Biggar Taekwon-do instructor Janice Steel (47), who is originally from Biggar.

“All of them have worked so hard, with some training four nights a week in an effort to pass their grading.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that this hard work has paid off.

“Isla, Olivia and Lyle were three of my first students on the night I opened in Biggar in April 2011.

“It is great that they and the others have progressed so well through the various taekwon-do rankings.”

Although the five Biggar Taekwon-do students sat their black belt gradings way back in April, they were only presented with their belts by Janice at a recent training session.

“None of them were told that they’d passed on the day of the grading,” said Janice, who has instructed taekwon-do for the past six years.

“I only found out about this excellent result via an email I was sent a few days later.”

For more on this story, pick up a copy of this week’s Carluke and Lanark Gazette.