ABERGAVENNY’S James Holt has just earned one of the top awards in Karate - the coveted Black Belt.

To earn the honour, James had to complete a gruelling four-day test in Knighton Powys.

The exam was conducted by the World Chief Instructor for Samurai Karate International, Hanshi Paul Mitchell.

James who attends King Henry VIII School trains every Monday at the Abergavenny Community

Centre but also attends other Samurai clubs to hone his skills.

Holt’s quest for the Black Belt began in 2009 under the then Samurai Cymru Instructor Kim Adams.

The club has recently been taken over by Shihan Tom Beardsley who said, “We are all very proud of James he has worked extremely hard and went through a very tough test to gain his belt.”

Anyone one wishing to try their hand at some karate with Samurai Cymru will be made more than welcome at the club. For more information contact Tom Beardsley 07810562136 or email [email protected].