THREE local martial artists from a Barrow gym will be representing England at the Kickboxing World Championships in Madrid this year.
The three fighters train at Cumbria Combat Sports, which is staking a claim for being the biggest martial arts gym in Cumbria.
Set up in 2021 by Ryan Thomas, the gym is starting to produce talented fighters ready to step up to professional MMA fights.
The fighters going to Madrid this year are Jude Archer, Jacob Gillibrand and Conrad Speirs.
Mr Thomas said: "We've had a lot of active fighters, won some national titles and now this year three of our homegrown, local lads have been selected to compete for the England team at the World Championships in Madrid in November.
"It's pretty big for the town. Hopefully we'll win some medals and put Barrow on the map.
"Last year was our biggest year in terms of how many people we had out for competition.
"I think we had 17 fights and lost two so we had a really good year and we're hoping to double that this year.
"We're arguably the biggest combat sports gym in Cumbria now so we're looking to branch out even further and this is a big step in doing so.
"We want to get the kickboxing program really solidified and if these guys get medals that will be big.
"I've got a feeling some of them are even going to win it. I'm very confident at least one of them is going to bring home a gold medal.
"It'll put us on the stage with a lot of the big gyms and teams in the country.
"There's a lot of hidden talent in Barrow, so I'm hoping it taps into that and we get more people through the doors."
The hope is that if the fighters perform well in Madrid, then the gym will grow in recognition and will grow their MMA and kickboxing team.
The growth will also allow more opportunities to put on training sessions for children.
One of the fighters, Mr Speirs, is hoping to go professional following the tournament in Madrid and will be competing for a national title in July.
Mr Thomas said: "He is ready to go full-time professional kickboxing from January 1.
"If he medals then he's going to get a lot of opportunities.
"Honestly, he's already going to get those opportunities anyway because he's that good."
The rapid growth in profile of the gym means that more funding is necessary if more fighters are being sent to tournaments.
Fundraising opportunities are being explored with £2,000 needed to support the three fighters for their trip to Spain.
Businesses are invited to get in touch with the gym to organise any sponsorship of the fighters and of the gym.
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