Children to benefit from free Karate classes thanks to PCC cash

A KARATE club will be able to deliver even more classes to disadvantaged youngsters after receiving a cash boost from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex. For the last two years the Maru Karate Kai club in Basildon has been funding free children’s karate lessons to disadvantaged youngsters in the Barstable area of the borough thanks to funding from Children in Need and the Big Lottery Fund. The free classes have run alongside the club’s normal lessons. The scheme, which has chosen the children through working with local schools, aims to build the confidence of the youngsters taking part, as well as equipping them with martial arts skills and diverting them away from potentially becoming involved in anti-social behaviour.