Bradley Stoke Judo Club player Tatum Keen has shot up from 90th to 18th in the world rankings following an outstanding silver medal-winning performance at a prestigious international competition in Croatia.

The success has come despite Tatum suffering a serious knee injury at the Adidas International Judo Cup in The Hague last November. Overcoming injury and illness, Tatum battled through to become British champion for the third time and then gain selection for the GB Identification Squad, entitling her to attend European Cadet Cup events.

On the second weekend in March, Tatum travelled as one of only seven girls in the England squad, and the only 52kg, to attend the Croatia Cadet Cup in Zagreb, one of the most well-known tournaments for young judokas worldwide, having grown from 220 participants to more than 800 judokas from 36 countries.

Tatum was ranked 90th in the world before going to the competition, out of 50 girls entered into her weight category, and was in pool C with the number 3 seed. Her first fight was against a strong Austrian who had previously won a European medal. After a tough fight where Tatum nearly got caught with a big throw, she managed to hold the girl down and win to get through to the second round.

In her second fight, Tatum came up against a very tall Serbian, but she won with an arm-lock and progressed to the third round, which was her highest achievement so far in a Cadet Cup.

Next, Tatum came up against the number 3 seed from Israel. The fight was a tough battle and went into ‘golden score’. With a change of tactics, Tatum managed to throw her opponent and won in the fight, therefore progressing to the pool final. Here, she came up against another strong Israeli and managed to win this fight with a confident display of judo, thereby winning her pool and unbelievably progressing to the semi-final, where she was up against the number 1 seed from Italy who is an excellent strong fighter and had looked confident all day. Tatum attacked and looked confident throughout the fight and with just over a minute left to go, she managed to hold down her opponent and win the fight.

In the final, she came up against the number 2 seed from Austria and after a good battle, she was eventually held down by the stronger, more experienced player and came away with the silver medal.

More: "Tatum shocked the competition with this result" »

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Members of Bradley Stoke Gymnastics Club put in some fine performances at the South West Prelims competition held at Yate International Gymnastics Centre on Saturday 17th March.

A team of 16 Bradley Stoke gymnasts (making up seven partnerships), five of them competing for the first time, made the short trip to Yate, where they joined around 200 other competitors from across the south west.

The competition format requires each partnership to perform a two-minute routine consisting of five team moves and three individual moves. Routines are judged for tidiness, sparkle, performance and artistry.

The club’s trio of Sophie Dean, Grace Blumire and Charlie Osborne delighted their coaches by coming away with bronze medals. Reflecting on her experience, Charlie said:

“I enjoyed the competition, however it was hard as there were some quite good trios in our group. The best part of the competition was collecting my first medal, and I really liked watching other people competing.”

Rachael Moore, club coach, said:

“All of the gymnasts performed excellent routines, making us very, very proud. To have so many of our ‘new ones’ compete for the first time and shine like stars put smiles on our faces. We couldn’t be prouder of all the girls, and that’s what makes us a real ‘gym family’”.

More: Girls now working towards the SW Championships in October »

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Entries have opened for the 2018 renewal of the Bradley Stoke 10k Run, to be held on Sunday 10th June as part of the town’s community festival. But you’ll need act quickly if you wish to take part, as more than 470 of the 650 places available have already been snapped up.

Organised by local ladies-only running club Sole Sisters, the race starts and finishes at the Jubilee Centre.

The race route takes in much of the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve as well as stretches along Brook Way and Bradley Stoke Way.

As well as supporting the mayor’s charities, Sole Sisters will this year be donating £1 per entry to raise funds for the Frenchay Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre (BIRU).

Penny Greenwood, Sole Sisters chair, explains:

“In September 2017 one of our dearest club members Dr Bex Mitchell and her family were involved in a horrific car accident which her partner did not survive. Her two children had extensive internal injuries; thankfully they are now fully recovered and being cared for by close family.”

“Bex herself has a traumatic brain injury. Since November, she has been treated at the BIRU in Frenchay, the unit specialises in the treatment of patients, from 16 years and upwards, who have severe physical and/or cognitive problems resulting from a brain injury. The centre is led by a consultant neuropsychiatrist who is supported by two consultants in rehabilitation medicine and another consultant neuropsychiatrist. They work with a team of psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and support workers with decades of experience in neuro-rehabilitation.”

More: How to enter and the latest news on places remaining »

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Local grassroots football team, Bradley Stoke Youth FC U7s, has received a brand new free kit, courtesy of local McDonald’s franchisee Mike Guerin and the McDonald’s and FA Accredited Club Kit Scheme.

Now in its fourth year, the McDonald’s Accredited Kit Scheme has reached a new milestone, by providing over 250,000 free kits to grassroots football clubs across the UK, with a further 70,000 to be delivered this season alone. Last year saw a record number of applications from clubs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with over 6,300 accredited clubs eligible to order a brand new kit, which come in a range of styles and colours.

As a long-standing partner of the FA, McDonald’s is this year celebrating its 15th anniversary of championing those who enable children and young adults of all genders, ages and abilities to play and enjoy football.

Local McDonald’s franchisee Mike Guerin, who is a keen supporter of grassroots football, said:

“Bradley Stoke Youth FC is a fantastic example of a grassroots club with a real community spirit and is a club that’s close to my heart – it’s great to meet with the team for a second year in a row and see how they’re getting on. It’s important that we support local teams to help them create the best possible experience for young aspiring players. It’s great to see that the McDonald’s Accredited Kit Scheme is thriving again this year, as it’s a great reward for grassroots clubs up and down the country.”

More: "An average team strip costs around £500 per season" »

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