Harleen Kaur, a world championship silver medallist from Bradford has set up a sports group for local women.

Ms Kaur, who is a martial arts champion and has represented Team England in kickboxing has now taken it upon herself to get women from the South Asian community involved in sports.

Club Ekta, the group that was set up, started in the first lockdown as a group of friends coming together to play outdoor sports a couple of times a week, and slowly more women got involved.

“We set up Club Ekta because we saw a demand for it, and we want to do more.

“Exercising and playing sports is key to staying healthy and at times women struggle to find time or places where they feel included.

“Our members range from the age of 16 to 60 and we want as many women as possible to get out and partake in sports.”

The Bradford group has teamed up with other local sports groups to put on tournaments, recently with Batley Ninja’s in a rounders match.

Club Ekta hosts sessions across Bradford for women of diverse backgrounds and hopes to further strengthen community cohesion.

Ms Kaur added: “We just want people to have fun and, in the process, get some exercise in."

The group hopes to offer women the chance to participate in sporting activities in a safe space.