What a weekend for our Arena Karate Squad! Our team travelled up to Barnsley ready to compete, put their training into practice and give it their all, and they certainly came away with plenty to be proud of!

Between them, the squad brought home an amazing collection of medals across Kata and Kumite. There were some brilliant performances, tough matches and some fantastic moments on the mats.

🥇 Gold

• Oliver – Kumite

• Esmee – Kumite

🥈 Silver

• Aiden – Kumite

• Ben – Kumite

• Lacie-Mae – Kata

• Lily – Kumite

• LLoyd – Kata

• Oliver – Kata

🥉 Bronze

• Esmee – Kata

• Lacie-Mae – Kumite

• LLoyd – Kumite

A massive well done to everyone who competed! 👏 Our squad showed determination, courage and some fantastic karate throughout the weekend.

We're incredibly proud of the hard work these students put into their training week after week. The medals are lovely to bring home, but they represent so much more than a result on the day. They reflect the hours of practice, the effort behind the scenes and the willingness to keep pushing themselves to improve.

One of the best things about this squad is the way they support each other. Whether they're competing, warming up, celebrating a win or picking each other up after a tough match, they do it as a team. That support makes such a difference, and it's brilliant to see the friendships and team spirit growing alongside their karate.

A huge thank you, too, to our coaches and families for all the time, encouragement and support that goes into helping these students get to competitions like this. There's a lot that happens behind the scenes, and it all plays a part in helping our squad do their best.

Well done, Team Arena! You've done yourselves and your club proud. ❤️🥋

Five Arena Karate students travelled to Harlow on Sunday 20th September to compete at the Inshinryu Invitational, and it proved to be a fantastic day of competition for the team, with four of our five competitors returning home with medals.

One of the highlights of the day came in the Kumite, where Arena students Esmee and Lily met each other in the final. It was a brilliant fight between the two girls, with both giving everything and showing just how much they have developed through their training. Having two Arena students face each other in a competition final was a fantastic moment for the club, and both girls should be incredibly proud of their performances. Esmee took the Gold, with Lily securing Silver.

Both girls also competed in Kick Master, with Esmee adding a Bronze and Lily also taking Bronze, making it a very successful competition for both of them.

Oliver also had a phenomenal day in Kick Master, producing an outstanding performance to take Gold. His performance was a real highlight and demonstrated the hard work he has been putting into his training. Oliver also entered Kumite, but unfortunately it wasn't his day and, after picking up an injury, he had to withdraw from the event.

Aiden continued his own competition journey with a strong performance in Kumite, taking Silver and gaining more valuable experience on the competition circuit.

Ben also competed in Kumite. It wasn't quite his day this time, but competitions aren't always about the medal. Every time our students step onto the mat they gain experience, learn from the challenges they face and come back with something to work on.

With two Gold, three Silver and three Bronze medals coming back to Arena, it was a fantastic day for our students. More importantly, it was another opportunity for them to test themselves, support one another and continue developing as competitors.

A huge well done to Esmee, Lily, Oliver, Aiden and Ben for representing Arena Karate with such determination and sportsmanship. We are incredibly proud of you all. 🥋❤️

A special thank you also goes to Ben, who stepped in to coach the team on the day while Stef was unable to attend. We really appreciate you giving up your time to support the students and being there in the coach's corner throughout the competition.

Our Team GB 2026 fundraising continued on Friday 14 August with a fantastic evening of quizzing, laughter and fundraising at our Battle of the Brains quiz night in Hadleigh.

The evening brought together friends, families, supporters and quiz teams for a fun-filled night, all helping to support our athletes as they prepare to represent Team GB at the WTKA World Championships in Carrara, Italy, this October.

We are delighted to announce that the evening raised an incredible £428 towards the athletes' journey to Italy.

A huge thank you must go to Davo, Sophie, Claire and Lloyd, who put the evening together and worked hard behind the scenes to make it such a success. Events like this take a lot of organising, and we are incredibly grateful for the time and effort they put into making the night happen.

We would also like to thank the Royal British Legion in Hadleigh for hosting us and for generously donating raffle prizes. Having such a great local venue and the support of the Legion made a real difference to the evening.

We are also extremely grateful to the local businesses who donated raffle and quiz prizes:

• Yarn Worx
• Fergusons
• The Mix
• Co-op Hadleigh
• The Men's Room
• Cobblers
• Hairloom
• Huffers
• Travelstop
• Frankie's of Hadleigh
• Pierce Tek

Your generosity helped make the evening even more enjoyable for everyone who attended, while also helping us raise much-needed funds for our athletes.

And, of course, none of this would be possible without everyone who came along, entered a quiz team, bought raffle tickets, donated and supported the event. Thank you for getting behind our athletes and helping them get one step closer to Italy.

Every pound raised is helping our squad prepare for the WTKA World Championships and the opportunity to represent Team GB on the world stage.

Thank you to everyone who played a part in making Battle of the Brains such a success. We couldn't do it without you!

The EKKA Summer Camp took place from 31st July to 2nd August 2026 at the Whitton Sports and Community Centre in Ipswich.

It was an extremely hot weekend, but that didn’t stop our Arena students from working hard, getting stuck into the training and, of course, having plenty of fun along the way!

Super Teams

Arena entered two teams into the Super Teams competition this year.

Arena’s “Original Gangsters”

Mal, Lloyd, Ben, Oliver, Esmee, Lacie-Mae, Aiden and Lily

And what a team they were!

The Original Gangsters won Super Teams for the second year running! 🏆

A fantastic achievement and a brilliant way to show just how much hard work and determination our students put into the weekend.

There was also a memorable moment during the relay when Mal produced an amazing sliding stop. Unfortunately, when he stood up, his leg looked like it had got into a fight with a cheese grater! 😂

We’re pleased to report that Mal survived and the team carried on!

Arena’s “New Blood”

Keith, Matt, Bryony, Leo, Maisie, Mabel, Archie and Ida

Our New Blood team also gave it everything and represented Arena brilliantly. With a mixture of experience and some of our newer students, it was fantastic to see them getting involved, supporting each other and throwing themselves into the competition.

Belts of the Course

A huge well done to the Arena students who were awarded Belt of the Course during the camp:

🏅 Maisie – White Belt of the Course
🏅 Mabel – Red Belt of the Course
🏅 Bryony – Yellow Belt of the Course
🏅 Ida – Yellow Orange Belt of the Course
🏅 Aiden – Orange Green Belt of the Course
🏅 Lily – Green Belt of the Course

These awards recognise students who demonstrated great effort, attitude and commitment throughout the course, so it was fantastic to see six Arena students receiving awards.

Hard Work, Laughs and Plenty of Fun

The weekend was certainly not all about competition. Everyone trained hard, and we had lots of laughs, some tantrums 👀 (you know who you are), but plenty of fun!

That’s what makes the EKKA Summer Camp such a great experience. It’s an opportunity for our students to train together, challenge themselves, spend time with friends and make memories outside of their normal classes.

A huge well done to every Arena student who attended. You worked incredibly hard in some seriously hot conditions and represented the club brilliantly.

And, of course, congratulations to our Original Gangsters on making it two Super Teams wins in a row! 🏆🥋

Well done, Arena!