Silver medal joy for Southwick girl

She was competing in Reading at the Matt Fiddes Martial Arts southern championships on Saturday and now has a place in the national finals in November.

Rachel, who lives in Whiterock Place, Southwick, proudly took her medal into Glebe Primary School on Monday to show her class.

Dad Dan Davy-Thomas said: “She competed in kicking on the Wavemaster punch bag. She started training at Southwick Leisure Centre almost a year ago and is currently a yellow belt. We are so very proud of her.”

Dan is a big fan of martial arts movies and Jean-Claude Van Damme in particular.

He said: “I never took up martial arts but always wanted to. I was keen for my daughter Rachel to start a class and looked around. The reason we choose Matt Fiddes is because of the Mighty Matts programme.

“It isn’t about punching and kicking. Her instructor sits them down at the beginning of every class and talks to them about anti-bullying, good behaviour at home and at school.

“He talks to them about helping other people and the community. He talks about how to avoid dangerous situations and avoiding fights. These are the values we wanted in a martial arts class.

“She has inspired me to join their adults class and my seven-year-old daughter Isabelle has also recently started the junior class.”