A martial arts school in West Cumbria has recently decided to grant its yearly donation to a mountain rescue team.

This year, E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness chose to donated £300 to Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team.

During the school's student of the year awards, students are asked to nominate a charity in the area that they think deserves to receive a portion of school's community fund.

This year Wasdale Mountain Rescue was the "popular choice".

E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness Chief Instructor and Sensei Chris Denwood said martial arts is about more than just self defence, and sees giving back to the community as a core element of the school's teachings.

"For us, it's really important that we give back to our local community," said Chris.

"We're teaching our local members martial arts and part of that is understanding how to be a good person and using martial arts to become better people.

"Having this community fund is a way of leading by example.

"Martial arts is quite holistic. When people think of martial arts, the first thing they think about is self defence, but the confidence-building aspects of that are just as important.

"We treat martial arts more as a way of life than a sport.

Chris has been practicing karate for for over 30 years and is taught by Master Higa Minoru, from the Kyudokan Dojo in Naha, Okinawa - one of the oldest dojos in Japan.

The school teaches children, from the age of five, and adults.

With around 200 members, it holds classes in Egremont, Whitehaven, Workington, Ceator Moor and Cockermouth.

Over lockdown, the school had virtual martial arts classes and a private Facebook group set up to cope with the loss of face to face lessons.

Chris added: "It served as a really important point for our community to support each other through it [the pandemic].

"We're so lucky because we've got such amazing members and a family feel about our organisation.

"Martial arts doesn't necessarily take you away from everyday life. It teaches you really important skills to enable you to enrich your life.

"We see it as an enhancement tool.

Chris added that he would like to see martial arts encouraged more in the county, saying: "If it's taught in the right way, it's such a holistic system.

"It's got so many benefits.

Facing and overcoming challenges and stepping outside your comfort zone are all signs of growth and development.

"A lot of people perhaps aren't as exposed to that as much now.

"With a traditional art like martial arts, it takes time and real amount of hard work and skill to progress.

"It teaches people to focus and make small progression over long periods of time."

Since Chris first visited Okinawa in 2010, E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness have been organising trips to the karate heartland for their members.

The school's next planned trip was originally scheduled for November 2020, but Covid-19 has forced it to be postpone until 2022.

In the past, the school has used its community fund pot to support the likes of St Bees RNLI, Macmillan Cancer Care, mental health charity MIND, and Cumbria Drug and Alcohol Advisory Service.

For more information on the work E.S.K.K Martial Arts & Fitness do, visit www..eskk.co.uk, or visit their Facebook page.