They were on the brink of going out of business earlier in the year but not only have they pulled through but Dunmow Tae Kwon-Do held their first colour grading.

The club were only formed in January but the pandemic proved hugely difficult.

However, they survived that and instructor Matt Howard said he was “fiercely proud” to see his students achieve their promotions.

He said: “All of them joined us in January and all returned to training once we came out of lockdown. They were initially due to grade on March 21 so to hold on and continue to train for an additional six months is a testament to their perseverance.

“This has been an incredibly challenging year for our club. We lost our venue and were nearly forced to close, but we never gave up.

“We obtained permission to train on Dunmow Recreation Ground and through the hard work of my partner Cheryl Preston we have since secured locations in Dunmow and Takeley, meaning that we now offer four classes per week.”

“The Grading was a complicated affair due to Social Distancing and Covid-19 regulations, but all students had to demonstrate their experience by performing patterns and line work. I am delighted that they all passed and they will be an inspiration to the new students we have attracted since we returned to training.

“Thankfully we are part of the British Taekwondo Council which as the national governing body for Taekwondo in the UK has confirmed that we are able to open and operate.

“We treat the health and safety of our students with the utmost importance and it is a pleasure to be able to get people up and active again.”

The five promoted to a yellow belt are Austin Penn, Braiden Penn, Tony Miles, John Rogers and Lee Shuttlewood.

Dunmow TKD now trains Sunday (11am-12pm) and Wednesday (7-8pm) at Dunmow Primary School and on Tuesday and Thursday (both 7-8pm) at Takeley Sports & Social Club.