The Martial Arts Business Awards Presented by NEST Management, wow what can we say? It was such a brilliant evening and a chance to see many of our clients in the first in person event we’ve held in a while!
This year’s theme was all about Business Resilience, showcasing the amazing work our clients have done over the past couple of years, showing that the Martial Arts Industry can adapt and continue to be a valuable part of the community during hard times!
Guest Speaker: Ross Kemp
Ross Kemp was our special guest speaker this year at the Martial Arts Business Awards and he was absolutely fantastic! A great experience for all who attended to listen to his fun, motivational, captivating stories, and personal experiences he’s had over the years, it was great to hear. The energy and enthusiasm he gave was a highlight of the evening!
The Awards
Our clients came from all over the country to attend our annual awards, from Hastings to Edinburgh, Norfolk to Northern Ireland. It was very exciting for all of us at NEST HQ knowing how important these events are and that we can be back hosting celebrations for our clients.
The NEST Business Resilience Award was given to all Martial Arts Business Owners that attended the event to showcase our appreciation and as a celebration of everything our clients have achieved over the past couple of years!
Business Growth Award:
The Business Growth Award was given to schools who achieved highest percentage business growth throughout 2021.
NEST are happy to announce the winners of this award are:
Vince and Sam Skillcorn – Fighting Fitness Judo
Andy Cleeves – EPiC Martial Arts
Marcus Haig – Temple Martial Arts
Business Retention Award:
The Business Retention Award was awarded to schools with the highest rates of retention throughout 2021 proving that their ongoing efforts to making their student, and often parents, journey exceptional.
NEST has awarded:
Lucy Gray – The Factory Martial Arts
Malcolm Evans – Lion’s Den TCK Martial Arts Academy
James Barker – Kuk Sool Won of Claygate
Franchisor of the Year:
Awarded to the Franchisor that demonstrates the highest level of business support and professional framework for their Franchisees.
NEST is excited to award this to:
Matt Fiddes – Matt Fiddes Academies Limited
Franchisee of the Year:
The Franchisee of the Year Award is awarded to the Franchisee that has shown exceptional dedication, business growth and retention whilst following the guidelines of their Franchise Agreement and brand.
This award was given to:
Keith Monk – School of Kung Fu Sutton
Pat O’Driscoll – Matt Fiddes Franchises
Best New Business Award:
The Best New Business Award goes to a client who joined NEST in either 2020 or 2021 as a startup business (non-Franchise) and has since shown remarkable business acumen with measurable achievements. They’ve come into the world of business with a bang and are definitely one to watch!
This Award is for:
Lee Harris – Rings Boxing Club
Outstanding Work in the Community Award:
The Outstanding Work in the Community Award is something that is very close to our hearts here at NEST, making this a very hard award to judge. All of the nominations were based on the contributions made within our client’s own communities.
The Award was given to:
Tina Hughes – Universal Taekwondo Academies
Outstanding Personal Achievement Award:
Another amazing award is the Outstanding Personal Achievement Award, this again is very important to the NEST family and choosing a winner was a very tough decision.
The winner of this award goes to:
Dan Powell – GNR8 Academy
Business Warrior Award:
The Business Warrior Award is nominated by our clients based on their own business, awarded to someone who is invaluable to the business and whose help is greatly appreciated.
This was awarded to:
Teresa Paginton – Ishin Ryu Ju Jitsu
Hidden Gem Award:
The Hidden Gem Award is a person within a Martial Arts Business who is the unsung hero, whose ongoing dedication and support allows the business to be the best it can be.
This Award is for:
Tom Weaver – SESMA
Alison Ducker Award for Inspirational Women in Martial Arts:
This Award has been created in recognition and in memory of the wonderful Master Alison Ducker who we sadly lost last year. She was a remarkably accomplished Kuk Sool Won 7th Dan Black Belt, an esteemed business owner and a dedicated wife and mother. But above all she was kind and humble. We would like to honour her by recognising other inspirational women in our Martial Arts Industry.
We’re incredibly proud to present this to:
Mary Stevens – Athena School of Karate
There are so many fantastic things that can be said about Mary Stevens, as a 4th Dan Wado Ryu practitioner Mary has achieved so much with her school and personal achievements too. Her Martial Arts School has an awe-inspiring retention rate, she is the author of a series of children’s books called Warrior Monkeys. She is also the Project Manager of the charity FairFight which empowers young women in India and Zimbabwe through the teaching of Martial Arts and self-protection.
We are so happy for all our award winners for The Martial Arts Business Awards 2022 and knowing that all our clients, big and small, make a massive difference in the lives of their students and communities makes all our work worthwhile.
The achievements of the award winners, and all our clients, is something for everyone to be proud of. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for the Martial Arts Industry.
