Prestwich Centre
Back in 2015, Master B Nelson started helping out with classes and loved it so much that he decided to kick off his own part-time class. By 2016, he had launched a part-time centre at a local school and community halls. Even though Master Parkinson thought Prestwich wasn't the ideal spot since most students went to the Bury Centre, we ended up with 100 students in just a year.
In February 2017, Master B Nelson took a leap and switched careers to teach full-time, opening his own full-time centre. His wife gave him a year to make it work, or else he had to find a "real" job.
By January 2019, the Prestwich Centre had grown to 200 students, and by February 2020, we hit 300. Then COVID came along, so we shifted classes online and created loads of videos and support materials to keep our FMAC students going. We bounced back after reopening, and by September 2022, we were back at 300 students.
Our biggest hurdles have been opening and moving our full-time centre twice and running classes seven days a week, all while keeping our standards high. Looking ahead, we're facing the challenge of finding or buying a building big enough for all our students.
Every student who overcomes a challenge or earns a Black Belt adds to our treasure trove of awesome memories - that's what keeps Master B Nelson coming back every day.
Oldham Centre
Master H Nelson kicked off the Oldham Centre in 2019 right after finishing college, having spent 3 years as an assistant instructor in Prestwich. The part-time centre started out at the Chadderton Over 60s centre on Saturdays and later added Tuesdays.
At first, it was just him and Mrs. Linsey Nelson (3rd Dan), but then Miss Abbie Nelson stepped in as Assistant Instructor. Now, we've got a whole team of instructors at our full-time Oldham Centre.
Getting started wasn't without its hiccups:
We had to deal with other classes/groups at the Over 60s centre before us (they weren't exactly the friendliest)
Just as we were finding our groove, COVID hit, forcing us to shut down and switch to online Zoom classes and graduations
Being a younger instructor with a bunch of older students had its own challenges
Our favourite moment was opening the full-time Centre (where we are now) once lockdown lifted. We're now open four days a week and growing fast.
Fun Facts - always sweep up before class in a part-time location, rain makes leafleting a sweaty or hot task, and wearing layers under your uniform in an unheated centre is a lifesaver, especially in winter.
Middleton Centre
We took over the Middleton Centre in August 2022 from Miss Jackie Brown. Back then, the centre only ran one day a week at Hopwood Hall College, with just 38 students and 40-minute classes. As soon as we stepped in, we kicked off a Tiger class and quickly moved to holding classes twice a week, adding a Friday class at Middleton Arena.
Initially, Mr. Ogden handled the Tuesday sessions while Master H Nelson took care of Fridays, and Mr. Ogden continued his instructor training at Prestwich. By April 2023, Mr. Ogden was running the centre full-time, and now we’ve grown to almost 150 students, offering Tigers, Beginners, and Advanced classes twice a week, plus a Black Belt class once a week.
Our biggest challenge when we took over was to raise the standards and procedures to match the Prestwich and Oldham Centres. This included making sure students showed up on time, wore their full uniforms, and had all the right training gear.
The Tigers class has been a big hit! We got over 20 Tigers on board in just a few weeks. Since we took over, we’ve promoted three students to 1st Dan and one to 2nd Dan, with several more aiming for promotion this year. We’re also hoping for our first Black Belt who joined us after taking over Middleton.
Running the centre across two locations has been a bit tricky, but totally worth it. We can't store all our gear in one spot, but it’s helped us spread the word around Middleton and give students more training options. Both Hopwood Hall and the Arena have been super supportive of our classes.
We’re currently on the hunt for a permanent spot in Middleton where we can set up a full-time Centre running several days a week in the next year.
Denton Centre
Back in 2023, Mrs. Kelly decided it was time to take on a new challenge and open her own Centre. It's been almost a year since we kicked off our Centre in Denton, and what a ride it's been! The toughest part at first was finding the perfect spot, but we think we nailed it with Gibson’s Dance Academy — it has everything we need.
We opened the centre in April 2024 as our first FMAC location in the Tameside area. Our first class was packed with awesome people, and some of them are still with us, getting stronger every month. We started with just one day a week, and it was going great. But towards the end of the year, we lost a bunch of students, so we quickly decided to add a second day in January. That move really paid off, and our students are doing an amazing job spreading the word and bringing in their family and friends. Our Tiger classes are filled with fantastic students ready to tackle anything, and our Beginners classes have grown nicely with a great mix of adults and kids. It’s awesome to see everyone learning and making progress. We're all part of this success story.
This year, we’re aiming to go big by at least doubling our numbers and adding a third day.
The journey of our Centres shows exactly what we're teaching our students:
Set a goal and jot it down
Break it into small, doable steps
Make a plan and stick to it, but be ready to adapt if needed
All this effort pays off, and you'll be rewarded for your dedication, perseverance, and sacrifice. Maybe your goal is to become a Black Belt, become an Instructor, or even open your own Centre one day?
Whatever it is, it all starts with those first steps... attend the class, move up the ranks (go to Graduation), and if you ever feel stuck or need help, let us or your friends know. We're here to guide and support you, and trust us, we wouldn't be where we are now without the help of others.
After all, we're FAMILY Martial Arts Centres.
Kyo Sa Nim Marta Kelly
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