As of the 2012 Summer Term, the UKKFF Wimbledon & Merton martial arts school will be moving to new premises at the Old Rutlishians Rugby Club. Click image for full details.

On the 12th June 2012, our Wimbledon club will run it’s final class at the Wimbledon Leisure Centre on Latimer Road. The UKKFF has been using this venue since 2002, and over the years many hundreds of students have studied Kung-Fu & Escrima there under the instruction of Sifu Lee Paul Heron.

Why are we moving?

The owners of the leisure centre have decided that following their recent million-pound refit, they will no longer be hiring out their facilities to any external groups. Whilst this is of course their prerogative, it does mean the end of an era for us. To be teaching successfully in one location for over a decade is no mean feat, especially given the economic climate.

However, it’s not the first time we’ve switched venues, and we believe our members will benefit from the change. Certainly over the past year, the leisure centre has become a lot more corporate and money-focused, and the overall feel of the place is not really conducive to hosting a dedicated martial arts club. Plus, their new dance studio is nowhere near as good as the old one it replaced.

So, we have obtained new premises. As of the 2012 Summer Term, our Wimbledon martial arts school will be located at the Old Rutlishians Sports Club in Merton Park. We are still in SW19, we still have good transport links, a large wooden floored training area, and mirrors. Plus we won’t have to fight through Wimbledon’s town centre roadworks each week too! Hooray!

What’s more, the new venue has onsite free parking, a kitchen & lounge area, and a bar onsite for a quick drink after training. It’s a far better ‘club’ feel, and we believe all our members will be far happier to train there.

Check out all the new details here, and we look forward to seeing lots of our members there for the first class of the new term, on Tuesday 26th June 2012.