A JUDO club which recently celebrated its past is now looking to the future.

The Northbrook Club, which has two centres in Lee and Bromley, was ten years old at the end of last month, and to celebrate co-owner Gary Currier organised an international tournament featuring clubs from Belgium and Holland.

As well as the competition a raffle was held to raise much-needed funds, which will pay for new mats due to be installed in the disused Grove Park bus garage, if and when the club makes the depot its permanent base.

Two of the club's members, 18-year-old Sean Bashford and 15-year-old Ava Whan, are on Great Britain's books, and meet up with the rest of the squad for group training sessions every two months.

The club itself trains thrice-weekly, and is always on the lookout for new recruits as Currier, who has competed at European level, explains.

The 30-year-old, who formed the club with his father Albert, said: "We're lucky to have built up a strong local following over the years, but there's always room for more enthusiastic youngsters to come along and sample the sport.

"We're very much a close-knit, community-orientated club, and hopefully that will continue should we relocate."

One of the parents who can testify to that welcoming atmosphere is Bob Bevan, whose son Mark joined the club some 18 months ago, having previously attended the Brian Jacks Club in Orpington.

Mark, who was introduced to the club by his school friends, claimed a silver in the international tournament.

Mr Bevan said: "It's a fantastic club, which has an impressive track record in both UK and international competitions.

"Mark was introduced a year-and-a-half ago now, and loves it so much he goes twice a week. It's only £2 a time, and is a really relaxed, family-run club."

At the recent tournament the members for once forgot their manners and proved to be perfectly inhospitable hosts, as 38 of the 47 home competitors walked away with medals, 15 of them gold.

Their opponents heralded from the Steenbergen and Heerle clubs, in Belgium, and Holland's Bergen-op-zoom outfit.

The Northbrook Club's apparently imminent defection to the somewhat less salubrious surroundings of Grove Park perhaps lacks the glamour of an international fixture, but is nonetheless no less crucial to the club's future.

Currier, who runs the club with fellow British Judo Council-approved instructors Nigel Smith and Tim England, says the club is "99 per cent certain" to move to the new premises, but there is a lot of work to do to make that dream a reality.

He added: "The place hasn't been used for years and is in a bit of a state, but with a bit of help we're hoping to get it up to scratch again and use it as our permanent base."

Anyone willing to volunteer their services be it builders, electricians or cleaners to restore the garage to its former glory, can call Currier on 020 8698 8792.

The number is the same for club enquiries. Alternatively, visit the website at: www.northbrookjudo.co.uk