News
Spotlight Awards 2010
Hull City Council and Viking FM
Hull Kung Fu have been shortlisted down to 3 groups for the Spotlight Awards 2010 Positive Contribution Category. This award is open to individuals and groups of children and young people who have demonstrated a determination to campaign for change in the city and made a difference for others. For example it could be for campaigning against issues such as racism or bullying, campaigning to improve the environment or introduce healthy eating and well-being.
The students that have been nominated are Georgina Busby, Sam Busby, Andy Yeomans, Chris Purcell, George Smithson, Martyn Oliver, Sam Norman and Lee Mytton. They will find out the results on 7th May.
HULLO
NHS Hull Newsletter October 2009
A local martial arts club is taking its service in to the community to encourage people to live fitter, healthier lifestyles.
Hull Kung Fu, a not for profit voluntary organisation, is currenty teaching over 40 young people a range of complimentary therapies free of charge. It is hoped that the 2 year Diploma courses will encourage the students, with a variety of backgrounds, to adopt a career in Alternative Therapy.
The club was established in 2003 and is run solely by volunteers. Their dedication to working with young people has won them a range of accolades including the Healthy Lifestyle category at this years Spotlight Awards and East Riding of Yorkshire Councils Top Club Award.
The group would now like to work with the NHS to offer tretaments such as Chinese Cupping, Hot Stones Therapy, Ear Candling and Massage to patients and staff. The organisation is led by Hull couple Mike and Odette Mitchell. Their 18 years of martial arts experience has taken them around the world, studying in places such as China, Hong Kong and Australia.
Mike says "martial arts teach people about discipline and can help weight loss and increase fitness. We dont just offer Kung Fu classes, we also teach Tai Chi which can help with relaxation, reduce stress levels and tones the body, without any major phsyical strain. This is very benificial to elderly and less mobile people but can benefit everyone that gets involved."
One of MIkes students, Andy Yeomans, is already working with our Why Weight? team. Andy teaches Tai Chi to peopl on the programme as a gentle form of exercise to help with weight loss. Hull Kung Fu also recieves referrals from Chiropractors to treat conditions such as traped nerves and back pain.
Hull Daily Mail
Friday October 9th 2009
Slim down without all the hard work
Residents battling the bulge have the chance to get off the treadmill and try Tai Chi.
Dieters benefiting from a community based weight management service in Hull can try out the gentle exercise regime.
Why Weight? offers support and advice to people who want to lose weight and the Tai Chi sessions are the ltest addition to the 10 week programme.
Organisers of the programme say the low impact exercise is aimed at improving control and building up core strength and has proved popular.
Andy Yeomans, 19, of West Hull teaches Tai Chi in the Why Weight? sessions and said "A lot of people thinks its like Yoga so when they do it they are really suprised".
"Its exercise without realising it. You lose weight and it can save people going to the gym. Instead of going for a three mile run, they can do one of the exercvises we do and its really relaxing for them".
"Its getting them moving around, its a bit of stretching and gives them a bit more mobility".
Margaret Mace, 69, of North Hull, was among those who took part in the sessions. She said "It was quite nice to try different things. I enjoyed it. It was good for breathing and it relaxed you at the end of it".
Raffi Norman, community fod worker for Why Weight?, said: "Tai Chi is low impact, good for balance and great at imrpoving breathing techniques".
The Why Weight? team also shows how maiking small changes to everyday routines can have a positive impact.
The programme includes practical cooking and tasting sessions, demonstrating how to create quick, healthy family meals using affordable ingrediants. The team also offers help in understanding food labels.
Shaolin Warriors Hull City Hall
26 April 2009
The internationally acclaimed
production The Shaolin Warriors visited Hull as part of their UK tour. This
breathtaking theatrical Kung Fu Show vividly depicts the rarely-seen Kung Fu
masters feats of agility strength and skill, using Buddhist Meditation and
their rigorous martial arts training. The show is an extravaganza, with
gorgeous scenery, atmospheric music, beautiful lights, and hundreds of
costumes.
This is a fully choreographed spectacular that features 22 professionally trained Kung Fu Masters; audiences were amazed and thrilled by their death defying Kung Fu disciplines such as qigong, animal imitation boxing, drunken boxing, and fighting with 18 kinds of dangerous traditional weapons.
Hull Kung Fu members attended the show,
Beverley Guardian
27 March 2009
Hull Kung Fu has won the Top Sports Club category in the recent East Riding Council Annual Sport and Play Recognition Awards. The ceremony was held to honour schools, coaches, volunteers and sports stars from across the region. Each award was judged by the chairman of East Riding Council, Councillor Bryan Pearson, who also presented them.
RADIO HUMBERSIDE
26 March 2009
CLICK HERE to listen to the Radio Interview
The Chinese way
A local project helps young people build their confidence through Kung-Fu
Hull Shaolin Chuan Fa Kung Fu Club was set-up five-years-ago and runs sessions across the region. The organisation offers training in martial arts and other areas of Chinese culture. They cater for young people of various ages and physical abilities.
The focus is on building young people’s self-esteem; as Chief Instructor Mike Mitchell explained: “We help them with their confidence, getting rid of social exclusion. We also give them careers in different things like Chinese massage, personal fitness training; careers for life.”
The social exclusion side is an important element. Some of the children have had problems dealing with anger. For many people teaching young people with anger issues a martial art seems to be a strange idea. Mike Mitchell said that Kung Fu is just part of the approach: “Martial Arts is not just about the fighting side. We also do something called Neuro-linguistic programming, which is stress relief and anger management training. We even get called into schools to teach anger management.”
The scheme has developed to provide training in complementary medicine, such as Chinese massage, ear candling, hot stone therapy and Tai Chi.
Many of the students have been with the club since it started. As their skills improved they have worked their way up the grading system of different coloured sashes. Some now act as tutors in the club training and assisting younger members. One such student is Alex Reynolds, aged 19. He said the skills he has acquired have helped him in everyday life. “You are learning how to defend yourself so you can spot situations where there could be a problem before they happen. I think it helps the younger kids. It teaches you self control. So you don’t get angry, you learn how to control your anger and try, if possible, to sort out the situation without a violent method.”
Some of the students have travelled to the world to take part in tournaments and training sessions. Many hope to pursue careers as professional martial artists.
Hull Kung Fu Wins the Hull city Council
and Viking Radios Healthy Lifestyle Award
2009
Hull Daily Mail
Tuesday March 17 2009
Spotlight on Young Achievers
http://www.spotlightawards.co.uk/
A host of famous faces helped reward youngsters in the city at the inaugural Spotlight Awards.
The awards were held at the KC Stadium and recognised outstanding achievements among the young people of Hull and their carers.
The ceremony was hosted by former Blue Peter and Dancing On Ice star Tim Vincent.
Famous faces in attendance included Hull City heroes Phil Brown and Nick Barmby, musician Roland Gift of the Fine Young Cannibals, celebrity hairdresser Mark Hill, and actresses Debra Stephenson and Eleanor Tomlinson.
The evening started with guests walking down a red carpet before sitting down to dinner. The 12 award winners were then announced by Mr Vincent.
Amanda Hartley 19, won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Amanda is a former pupil at Sydney Smith in First Lane, Anlaby, and spent years working in various shops as a Saturday girl. She always dreamed of opening a florist and thanks to a grant from Youth Enterprise she has had her own shop - Amanda's Blue Orchid Florist in Hessle Road, west Hull - for a year.
She said, "I was over the moon to be nominated. It was absolutely nerve-racking on the night. When they read out my name, it was amazing. I was presented with the award by Michelle Dewberry, who has always been an inspiration to me. The shop is hard work and I have not yet drawn a wage, but it is great. I have put the trophy in the shop window".
Amanda said she hoped her award would help inspire others to achieve. She said: "Hopefully, there might be other people who have thought about doing whist I have done, but not got around to doing it. I'm just a normal Hull lass who used to deliver the Mail, worked as a Saturday girl and went to Sydney Smith. I was helped enormously by Youth Enterprise and would like to thank them for their support and advice".
Hull College student Chris Wilson, 17, won Sports Person of the Year award.
Chris suffers from cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. He has represented Yorkshire in wheelchair basketball and also turned his hand to sports such as sledge hockey and wheelchair tennis.
Chris, who wants to go into sports coaching and development, already has his level one coaching badge. He said: "It was a shock to win - I didn't expect it. I didn't even expect to be nominated. I was given the award by Nick Barmby and I saw Phil Brown, too".
Hull Kung Fu club won the Healthy Lifestyle Award.
It was nominated for working to engage with young people and inspire them to change their lives to become healthier, giving them more confidence and making them feel safe. The coaches who dedicate their time to the project tackle a range of health and lifestyle topics and aim to give young people focus and ambition.
Instructor Martin Robson said: "It was fantastic. All credit should go to my instructors - they are the driving force behind the movement and credit should go to all the hard work they put in".
The awards on Friday were organised by Hull City Council in conjunction with Viking FM and were sponsored by various businesses and clubs around the city.
Hull Daily Mail
Tuesday January 30 2009
Deaf people taught martial art through
sign language
Leaders of a Kung Fu group in Hull have learned sign language to teach the martial art to deaf people. Instructor Sam Busby and assistant instructors Georgina Busby and Chris Edson have completed a 12-week level one British Sign Language course at Hull College.
Sam 18, said: "The course was the first step to learning sign language. Now we can explain moves and hold a conversation with deaf people. We have also received permission from the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) to make up our own signs for Kung Fu words, which as yet do not have signs".
The Hull Kung Fu club was set up more than five years ago at an old school hall in the city with the aim of creating a voluntary club to help people in the area. The club is recognised by the NDCS as a deaf-friendly club and is also registered as a fully inclusive club with Mencap.
Mike Mitchell, 36, who started the club with his wife Odette said: "Although the club is accessible for the disabled and wheelchair users, we wanted to make it even more inclusive by offering the service to deaf people in the area. We have produced instructional videos and some of the moves have been written down. The rest will be taught through sign language. We also hope to teach them some of the Chinese language".
A NDCS spokeswomen said: "We like to recognise good practice and the Hull Kung Fu group seems to make itself accessible to all members of the community".
Hull Daily Mail
Tuesday January 20 2009
Healthy Diploma at Kung Fu Club
A kung fu club is training 45 of its members in traditional Chinese medicine free of charge. Leaders og the Hull Kung Fu and Hull Tai Chi Club are offering the two-year diploma to perform massage, ear candling and hot stone therapy, thanks to funding from the Youth Opportunities Fund. Mike Mitchell, who runs the club with his wife Odette and four volunteers, said: "It's a bad time for young people to get a career, so we wanted to be able to offer this to give them a chance to get a job. We've been running the Chinese medicine training for a while now but, thanks to the funding, we can now offer members a diploma".
Members have also raised more than £3,000 for local charities.
East
Riding Advertiser
We're fightin fit and thats official
A MARTIAL arts club has become the first in the city to earn official accreditation.
The Hull Shaolin Chuan Fa Kung Fu club, which runs classes at Hull Collegiate School , Anlaby, and Beverley High School , is a member of the East Riding Voluntary Youth Organisation, which helps youngsters use a sport to benefit their future.
The club is also a member of the East Riding Sports Coaching Association and has just achieved Level Three of the East riding Coaches Accreditation Scheme, which ensures that the welfare and safety of young people at the club is a high priority.
Instructor Mike Mitchell said: “We owe a lot of thanks to Sarah Johnson who works for the scheme within the council for helping us out with this”.
“We teach the art to all age groups, which includes fitness, self-defence, confidence building and general toning and flexibility of the body”.
“We have seen some amazing improvements in children that we teach, including dealing with bullying and increases in confidence when dealing with tricky situations”.
The club also runs sister clubs Hull T’ai Chi and Hull Women’s Defence.
All senior instructors in the club are CRB checked and trained in child protection, working with disabled performers, equity and first aid.
Mike added: “As a non-profit club we aim to build the membership within the club to encourage people with all abilities to join us and achieve their personal goals in life”.
Hull Kung Fu and Hull Women’s Defence club runs at Hull Collegiate School Wednesdays, 7pm to 9:30pm, and Hull T’ai Chi club runs at Beverley High School, Mondays, 7pm to 8pm.
Call 0781 6458977, email info@hullkungfu.co.uk or visit www.hullkungfu.co.uk