A BRITISH taekwondo champion has launched fitness classes in her home town.

Aneila Afsar, 23, has won countless medals all over the globe in championships in London, Sweden, Belgium, Serbia and Berlin.

The Nelson-born martial arts star took up taekwondo at a young age and said she was keen to share her passion for fitness with women in her community who she felt were under-represented in sport.

She said: “Being involved in sports and physical activity gives you a better quality of life. Science has proven this.

“It’s sad that so many women are missing out on these benefits. Women of the south Asian culture are particularly under-represented in sports. I want to create a safe environment for women to get fit in a fun way, advocating myself as a role model.

“I am a mother and I am also an elite athlete. I believe with the right determination and support, women in the community can collectively overcome the barriers in their life to achieve their fitness goals.”

Aneila who graduated with a first-class honours in criminology from Manchester Metropolitan University, has competed for Team GB winning national championships.

Her new fitness classes Fitness by Aneila will take place at the Ultimate Strength and Fitness Gym, Brunswick Street, Nelson. The programme is suitable for all levels of fitness with advanced and beginner classes.

She said: “Taekwondo is a fantastic sport, which demands very high fitness levels. I thought that a taekwondo-based fitness class would be a fun, unconventional way, for women to enjoy getting fit. I decided to call the classes Tae-HIIT on this basis.

“The local community is important to me as it’s where my grassroots are, it’s where it all began for me. It would be extremely rewarding for me to successfully run classes here and work within my own community.

“Ultimate Strength and Fitness Gym’s female-only facilities are state of the art and perfect for the classes I’m running.”

It book visit Instagram @fitnessbyaneila or via email fitnessbyaneila@gmail.com