I'm a retired person that is involved as a martial art Instructor in Darlington. My group in Darlington is a small Kobudo group of students. This group is also a non-profit making school. We have been with an International group called the Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan International (MKKI) headed by one of the world's experienced western Instructors for Matayoshi Kobudo; Franco Sanguinetti 8th Dan. Each year our small group in Darlington brings this instructor over for a weekend training, whereby our students get graded.

Over the years I have been promoted to 3rd Dan Black Belt, and now ready after 4 years to be graded to 4th Dan Black Belt. However, this grading needs to be carried out in front of the Japanese top instructors in Okinawa. I have been given the honour to go for this grade in June 2020. But the cost is a big burden upon me to try and get the funds together for this trip, stay, training and grading. It will involve just over a week in Okinawa, training at different places with various top Japanese instructors. It will also include cultural visits, based around the birthplace of martial arts. To do this I need to raise a total of around £3,500. Some of this I can managed from my pension, support from my students, But will still be short by around £2,000.

Benefits will be vast for me and my students here in Darlington, and as well to the UK as I'd be the first student in the UK to have been graded to 4th Dan in Matayoshi Kobudo with the MKKI organisation. The knowledge and experience that I will bring back will be past onto the students here in the UK.