A BRITISH martial arts champion has set up training sessions for the public in West Cumbria. 

John Paul Hasley, of Cleator Moor, is running the classes at Keekle Village Hall and has years of experience in martial arts. 

Hasley has been doing combat sports since a young age and now specialises in Brazilian Jujitsu, which is the sport that is taught in his classes. 

Mr Hasley said: "I've trained in jujitsu for between 10 and 12 years, I started off doing grappling and mixed martial arts in 2009. 

"I moved to Japanese Jujitsu in 2012, and from then on I started doing Brazilian Jujitsu in about 2016. 

"My two biggest accomplishments will be winning the British Championships in 2021 and setting my club up in 2023. 

"I started off at Wath Brow Hornets to help people with their mental health, but I've since moved to Keekle Village Hall. 

"The classes are free to attend but we do ask for donations. A lot of the people I work with started to train, and then I offered my services to local rugby teams and some of the younger generations. 

"I started boxing when I was seven but throughout my life, I've suffered from bad eyesight so the doctor wouldn't allow me to box in tournaments. 

"I carried on playing rugby and football when I was a kid, and it wasn't until I was in my early 20s that I got into mixed martial arts and all aspects of grappling focusing on traditional Brazilian Jujitsu."