HAGLEY Tae Kwon-Do Club ended their year with belt gradings when 18 local residents travelled to Holy Trinity School in Kidderminster to grade alongside other local TAGB (Taekwondo Association of Great Britain) schools including Kidderminster and Hagley.

Students were graded by 8th Dan World Master Paul Donnelly, National Area Representative and Chief Liaison Officer for the Taekwondo Association of Great Britain.

Students are marked on their techniques, patterns, sparring skills and their theoretical knowledge. A pass mark is awarded if the student is competent for their grade. A pass plus is given if a student demonstrates a high standard in a particular area of the grading, and an advanced pass grade is awarded if a student excels in all aspects of their exam.

The results were: Pass: Ravi Patel, William Holland, Sam Holland, Chris Wheal, Sofia Wheal, Asha Patel, Vijay Patel and Libby Herbert. Pass plus: Richard Perks, Alex Sobainsky, and Arti Shah. Advanced pass: Anushka Sobainsky, James Gutteridge, Amy Perks, Joseph Perks, Abalena Bytheway, and Laura North. The club also had a rare A* grade awarded to Charlotte Billingham, who was deemed by Master Donnelly to be outstanding on the day. Student of the Year for 2016 was presented to Balbir Atkar.

Instructor Katie Billingham said “I know the obstacles he is trying to overcome and I’m behind him 100 per cent until he achieves his every goal.”

Runners up for the award were new starters Abalena Bytheway and Amy Perks and student's Student of the Year went to Arti Shah.