Polaris Triple Champion Ashley Williams is one of the most successful elite competitors to ever come out of the UK and he’s just announced a free seminar tour around the country in order to support gyms that have been struggling as a result of forced shutdowns. Of course, the UK isn’t the only country that has locked down hard in order to combat Coronavirus and thousands of gyms all around the world are having a difficult time coping with being shut down for extended periods of time without income. The lack of income is only part of the problem as well, as many gyms that have dared to open in defiance of restrictions have been quickly threatened with high fines that, if paid, would be a death knell to any small business.
Ashley Williams has now stepped up to help out several gyms that have found themselves in this precarious position by announcing on his official Instagram account that he will be arranging a seminar tour around the UK of around 15-20 gyms. Williams isn’t the first prominent figure from the BJJ and MMA community to intervene in order to help save local gyms, with Conor McGregor recently stepping in to save SBG Portarlington specifically. Alongside this, large companies have been able to help some gyms as well, with BJJ Fanatics recently announcing the introduction of a charitable fund designed to help support struggling gyms through the pandemic as well.
This definitely marks the biggest effort by an individual though, and really shows how much the BJJ community supports each other. With one of the biggest names in UK BJJ travelling around the country to help local gyms, it’s a fantastic sign for the growth and development of the sport there.
