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FROM: DAN BYLES MP
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Released by: Dan Byles MP, Member for North Warwickshire & Bedworth
Date: 02 March 2011
Contact: Raluca Cursureanu 0207 219 7179
Local MP Visits Bedworth Kung Fu Club
Dan Byles meets gold medal winning champions
Member of Parliament Dan Byles has visited a local Kung Fu Club that, despite its modest size, has produced a string of gold medal winners in recent years. The ‘Sil Lum Kune’ club was founded by the former UK and World Qingda sparring Champion Paul Burkinshaw, who holds the highly coveted Seventh Degree Black Sash and a string of championship titles.  Paul has studied kung fu in a variety of disciplines since 1986 and has trained in Hong Kong and Beijing as well as at the famous Shaolin Temple in China. He opened his first club in Coventry in 1994. Following a near fatal car accident in 2000, Paul decided to dedicate himself to establishing and running an exemplary training school for local people. He opened the Martial Arts Academy in Bedworth in 2002, and under his quiet tutelage it has gone from strength to strength. In 2006 he renamed the club Sil Lum Kune, and in 2007 moved into the current, custom built premises in George Street in Bedworth with the help of club members who pitched in to assist with raising the necessary funds. Paul is now hoping to get planning permission to expand the club building. Open to both adults and children, Sil Lum Kune has a thriving and popular ‘Little Tiger’ programme aimed at younger children between the ages of four and eight, which aims to instil discipline, confidence, respect, teamwork skills and temper control in a fun, friendly and less rigid environment than the more formal martial arts classes. As well as the academy itself in Bedworth, the club also reaches out into the community by running regular training sessions in Nuneaton, Baddesley, Bulkington, Coventry, Hinkley, Kennilworth and Leamington Spa. Dan Byles, the MP for Bedworth and North Warwickshire, has a record of supporting youth development and sporting opportunities. He is also a double Guinness World Record holder for expeditions he has undertaken around the world to raise money for youth charities, including crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a wooden rowing boat and walking to the North Pole. Speaking after the visit, Dan said: “Sil Lum Kune is a fantastic club, and I found Paul to be a real inspiration. What he has achieved in setting up the club and building it into what it is today has been remarkable, and it is a real asset to Bedworth. “I was really pleased to meet not only Paul, but many of the kids who so clearly enjoyed training at the club. It is a fantastic way for young people to get fit, have fun and develop their confidence and their potential. As an ex-soldier, I have seen firsthand the power that a love of sport can have to change the lives of young people. “I was also particularly impressed to meet so many students who have won medals at national championship level, including a string of gold medals. Clearly Paul’s love for kung fu and for the club is infectious, and the students not only thoroughly enjoy their training but they are also a force to be reckoned with at competition time. “Sil Lum Kune is clearly an asset to Bedworth, and it is great to see our young people throwing themselves into something positive like this. I wish the club every success, and I’ll do all I can to help them continue with their excellent work with young people in the community.”  Anybody interested in learning more about the club should contact Paul Burkinshaw on 07973 421860, or visit their website: www.sil-lum-kune.com |
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