PETER Jones is a gentle giant but make no mistake he is not a man to mix it with.

He is a former world champion although that is not widely known.

The Tenbury man has just been inducted into the martial arts Hall of Fame. He runs three clubs including one in Tenbury and is urging people of all ages to consider taking up a martial art as a way both to keep fit and healthy as well as to be able to defend themselves.

A former pupil of Tenbury High School, the 40-year-old took up Jujitsu three decades ago.Apart from the time that he spent at University, Peter has lived in Tenbury all his life. Peter travels to Worcester to work where he is a nurse. He worked at Tenbury Hospital for seven years between 2005 and 2009.

“I was always interested in martial arts and I began training in 1990,” he said.

He started at a class at Tenbury High School when it was Kung Fu.

“I took up Jujitsu at the old Energetics Fitness Centre in Burford in 1994,” he added.

The three decades of training have brought a rich crop of success.

“Last year I won a Continued Excellence Award at the Warriors Assemble British Martial Arts Awards,” said Mr Jones.

He also holds a world title for Karate Kata performance.

At the beginning of May his achievements were recognised.

“I was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame at the UK Martial Arts Show,” Mr Jones added.

“This took place in Doncaster. I received the award from Chris Crudelli from BBC’s Mind Body and Kick-Ass Moves.”

He now runs three classes including one in Tenbury.

“My club is The Kajuen Ryu, the Orchard School, named for Tenbury, the town in the orchard,” he said.

“I run classes in Martley, Shrawley and Tenbury. The Martley classes are Jujitsu and focussed on self-protection.”

He says that martial arts are suitable for men and women, boys and girls and for people of all ages and abilities.

But he says that it is important that people decide what they want to get out of it.

“My classes are for everyone from aged six and older,” he said.

“There is no upper age limit. Different classes have different emphases, self-protection or competition, as the skill sets are vastly different

“My club is The Kajuen Ryu, the Orchard School, named for Tenbury, the town in the orchard

“I run classes in Martley, Shrawley and Tenbury. The Martley classes are Jujitsu and focussed on self-protection.”

He said that one of the benefits of martial arts regardless of the level of ability is that it is an excellent way of keeping fit as well as being a way of meeting new friends.

The Tenbury class is a Friday evening at Gym HQ, above The Bridge Hotel, from just after 7pm. This is Kickboxing which is focussed on competition.