The hard work and commitment of Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form trio James Falp, Aaron Mellor and Danny Bates paid off as they claimed gold at the English Karate Federation National Championships in Sheffield.

They were selected to represent the Martial Arts Centre in Braintree in the three-man Kata team.

All three have been committed to their club for the past seven years and their training paid dividends as they came away with the gold medal.