LIKE many in his generation, 53-year old John Tumman went straight from school to work down the pit.
But after they closed, he turned to his lifelong love, Karate, for a career.
More than 30 years on, John is teacher to 130 students at the Barnsley Karate Centre, and the sport dominates his life.
John, who retired from competitions in 2004 after winning the Veteran’s English Karate Title aged 40, is respected and idolised by all his students. For this reason, he has been nominated for a Proud of Barnsley Award.
John and his father Ged Tumman opened their first Karate Club in 1978, with less than ten students. Nowadays, John teaches up to three sessions a day, alongside weekend events, training courses, summer camps, school classes and charity events.
Children start at the club aged five, and move into the senior class aged 14.
John is also responsible for the formation of an association called ‘Shindo Kai’, which unites karate groups from around England. It boasts 22 clubs and 800 members.
The charity events that John has organised during his time as a karate teacher have helped to raise £65,000 for local charities and Cancer Research.
John, 53, of Wood Lane, Carlton said: “I started training with my father at the age of eight. At the time Bruce Lee films were out and I thought he was fantastic.
“As I left school on the Friday, I went straight to Dodworth pit on the Monday and later to Redbrook Pit where I finished when it closed down. We used our redundancy money to kit out the rooms we have now at Regent Street South and haven’t looked back.
“The fact that I’ve been nominated for this award is amazing. Coaching people isn’t just karate and fitness, it’s life skills like responsibility, respect, and knowing right from wrong. It’s so rewarding and it makes me so proud when I see kids I have coached all grown up with families and being good individuals in their communities.”
John was nominated by Jo Schofield, the mother of one of his students.
Jo, 49, of Ruscombe Place, Carlton said: “John is a hero to his students. He encourages the use of karate and its disciplines to help children become part of a team which we like to call The Karate Family. Many of the students have overcome their fears, reservations and illnesses to become confident, happy and very respectful children.”
More information about Barnsley Karate Centre can be found at www.shindokai.co.uk
