A KNUTSFORD business is encouraging children to learn new skills and develop their confidence through martial arts.

‘de Poel Community’ which is part of the Brookfield Rose group based on Chelford Lane, has recently partnered with Great Places Housing Group to bring sport to life with a karate workshop.

The workshop was held at St. John’s Wood Community School sports hall in Longridge, and children aged four to 13 years old and their parents came to try their hand at the Japanese art.

The event was part of Brookfield Rose’s campaign to give something back to the local community and encourage young people to develop their skills in an active environment.

Rebecca Gallagher, HR Apprentice at de Poel Community’s parent company Brookfield Rose, who ran the workshop, said: “It was great to see that our younger generation and stars of tomorrow are still excited by learning in such a dynamic environment.

“Workshops such as these really prove that sport can be fun and encourage creativity, social interaction, team building and problem solving.

“I hope they enjoyed the sessions as much as I did and go on to embark on apprenticeships in their local community, just like I did. Since I started my apprenticeship at Brookfield Rose, I have never looked back”.

The partnership will see de Poel Community and Great Places Housing Group come together to create employment opportunities and have a positive impact on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

Keira Burns, Employment and Training Manager from Great Places Housing Group, said: “Working in partnership with local employers like Brookfield Rose helps us to enhance our existing employment and training offer, and enables us to widen the search for good employment opportunities for our residents.

“We look forward to developing our partnership further, as we continue to seek new ways to engage not just our Knutsford tenants and their families, but also those living in all our core neighbourhoods.”