Warrington Warjukwai Judo Club was established in 1952 in a small second hand wooden clubhouse on Loushers Lane, Warrington. The club boasted a dojo with a straw mat covered by hardboard and topped with a canvas playing surface. There was only one changing area (not even a dedicated changing room) and one toilet as in the early days the club was only open to men, and one small heater that barely worked.
The club walls had holes in it as did the windows, this was good for ventilation in the summer but in winter condensation settled on the mat and as a consequence when we arrived on the mat for a training session there was a layer of frost on the mat and the instructors would not even consider the wearing of socks or t-shirts on the mat.
In 1973 the field behind the club was developed into what we now know as Woolacombe Close and the club was re-located to its current location in a state of the art (for its time) judo club with ladies and gents changing rooms and toilets but still no showers, these were installed in the late nineties and re-vamped in 2013 following the addition of the extension in 2010 to accommodate the seating area at the side of the mat.
Over the years the club has had a lot of success on the mat most notably Abbie Cunningham who became two times European Junior champion
Author: G Bayley