A Garelochhead karate instructor has opened up a club in the village as he looks to give back to the community he grew up in.

After opening clubs in Paisley, where he now lives, JKS Clyde Karate instructor Callum Cairns has returned to his roots to bring karate back to the area where he lived for 14 years.

Classes will be available for both children and adults, and will be held in Centre 81 on Wednesdays between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

Callum is a former student of Rosneath Karate Club, and hopes to inspire a new generation of Karateka.

He said: “Between 2005 and 2019 I grew up in Rosneath and I am aware of how little there is to do for children in the areas surrounding the Gareloch.

“I was lucky enough to have had some fantastic experiences throughout my youth that I owe to karate, like fighting at the JKS World Championships in Tokyo in 2013 and the JKS European Championships in Copenhagen in 2014 with the JKS Scotland National Team.

“All of these experiences would not have been possible without having a karate club in my local area to hone my skills, as areas like Garelochhead are very remote.

“I would love to build a thriving karate club at Centre 81 in Garelochhead to help students new and old have wonderful experiences and be part of amazing adventures of their own.”

JKS Clyde Karate is the first martial arts club to open between Helensburgh and Coulport since before the pandemic.

For many years, the Rosneath peninsula was home to a successful karate club which had called various venues home.

It was based at the Rainbow Centre in Kilcreggan and the Princess Louise Hall in Rosneath, and later at Rosneath Primary Schoolm before the club closed when Covid hit.

JKS Rosneath’s sister club, JKS Arrochar, re-opened in March 2023.

Membership costs £20 per year and karate suits cost around £40.

To find out more, visit the JKS Clyde website at www.jks-clyde.mymawebsite.com.