Martial arts club Kenbu Dojo had plenty to declare when they went through Customs after returning home from Rome.

Ten gold medals, 13 silver medals and 11 bronze medals to be precise after enjoying a hugely successful four days at the Kenpo Karate European Championships.

The Gloucester-based club were representing Great Britain and delighted club owner Sinead Byrne said: “The dedication of all of the team, especially the younger members, has been astonishing to see.

“Throughout they all gave their best and remained smiling and enthusiastic even when things weren’t always going their way.”

Fortunately, things did go their way a lot of the time with 14-year-old Fearne Hawkins leading the way in terms of medals won, with four silvers and two bronzes.

Every member of the team – the youngest was nine years old – collected at least two medals.

That is some going because more than 400 competitors from across Europe took part in the event.

On the main championship day, each team member competed across seven different technical divisions through 13 gruelling hours of continuous competition, including demonstrations of specific forms, creative self-defence scenarios, weapons techniques and adrenaline-fuelled knockout sparring matches.

For one team member – 16-year-old Lucy Johnson – success was particularly satisfying because she now lives in Romania, but she continued to train every week with the club over Zoom and all her hard work was rewarded.

That is just one of the special stories to have come out of the European Championships.

The aforementioned Fearne Hawkins, meanwhile, was obviously very happy with her medal haul and she has memories that will last a lifetime.

“My best memories will always be how good I did in sparring and getting to kick my dad at the Colosseum for a photo!” she said.

The championships also gave the students the opportunity to attend seminars with some of the most senior Kenpo black belts in the world.

That was something that made a big impact on 19-year-old Jay Tyler, who said: “I really enjoyed the seminars, I learned a lot and it widened my view on Kenpo. I now have a greater understanding of movements and techniques.”

It was the second time that Kenbu Dojo have represented Great Britain at the European Championships. Last year the championships were held in Malta – the club won more than 50 medals – but Sinead Byrne, an eight-times world champion, said: “This was a much bigger, more exciting event.

“There was three times the amount of competition on the day, almost 900 people watching on and winning a medal was no easy feat.

“It’s a testament to the hard work the team put into their training for the results that came out at the end.”

And next year the Kenpo Karate European championships will be coming to Gloucestershire for its 40th anniversary competition, the first time that the championships been held on mainland Britain.

That is great news, of course, for everyone involved at Kenbu Dojo, a family-orientated club catering for both children and adults.

The club teach a unique blend of Kenpo Karate and Bujinkan Budo Taijitsu, which allows the students to learn both a modern sporting system and a more traditional Japanese martial art.

Kenpo Karate, sometimes known as American Karate, is a modern martial arts system based upon ancient martial methods but applied to modern world scenarios.

Founded by the late Ed Parker in the 1950s, Kenpo Karate emphasises using fast attacks to disable an opponent, employing a wide range of punches, strikes and kicks, as well as joint locks, throws and weapon techniques.

One of the most famous Kenpo students was Elvis Presley, who reached 9th Dan black belt in the system.