First grantees

Honbu Travel Bursary — £4,000 toward a visit to Osaka Honbu Dojo

Carole Grey

The first beneficiary of the Fund, awarded £4,000 toward a visit to Osaka Honbu Dojo for herself and her daughter. Carole trains at Sussex Aikido, where Sara often visits and trains with her. As a beginner, Carole competed for the Club in the BAA days and won a prize for the most spirit at the competition — a determined player from the start, who went on to join the Shodokan squad that travelled to Japan in the early 2000s and continued to compete both locally and abroad. Not long after her daughter Annabelle was born with significant learning disabilities, she became a single parent — yet her training barely suffered, even with the extra demands at home and journeys of up to an hour to reach the dojo. She has steadily earned her way to a very tidy Yondan (4th Dan), and now coaches regularly at Sussex Aikido.

Technical Development Programme — £700

Mai Vu

The first scholarship awarded under the Technical Development Programme, in recognition of Mai’s commitment to aikido as a stalwart member of the Shodokan Greenwich club, where she became one of its trusted “key holders” — always ready to open the club and train. The club gave her much-needed healing after a difficult time in her life, and the award supports her travel costs from Oxford to Greenwich, with the potential to extend into 2027 toward her driving licence and a car.