Luke is not only a very valued member of our team of carers, he is also one of the highest ranked Taekwondo Champions in the world. With a nearly endless collection of world, international, and national titles.
Excuse me, did you say Taekwondo Champion? Indeed, when he is not out and about with one of our clients, you
can find Luke in the ‘dojang’, practising complicated moves or sparring with one of his fellow Taekwondo mates. A carer with a 6th degree black belt. Now if that isn’t an unusual combination!
Luke has been practicing Taekwondo since he was a little boy, and it wasn’t long before he got hooked by the excitement of martial arts. Luke: “Everybody seems to think martial arts are only for rough people who like fighting. But nothing is further from the truth. It really is an art, taekwondo has got many beautiful, complicated movements. And we make sure we don’t hurt each other (too much).”
In 2005, Luke set up Hall Family Taekwondo with his wife Sarah, who holds a 4th degree black belt. They now run three successful schools in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Luke: “I love teaching, it is wonderful to see people gain their confidence. Sometimes, their whole demeanour changes, you can see their feet are planted more firmly on the ground. It’s amazing to be part of such a journey.”
So what does an average day look like when you are a carer slash taekwondo champion? Luke: “It is very important that I stay fit, especially when I’ve got an important tournament coming up. I work out several hours a day. If I get a break between visits to clients, I take the opportunity to go for a long run or do a few hours of sparring. Me and Sarah teach most evenings, so it can get quite busy. We try to keep our weekends free to spend time with our four children.”
Luke has been a carer for more than 11 years. Luke: “I used to work as a builder, but then I saw an add in the newspaper looking for a carer, and I thought – I think I can do that! And I have never looked back, I love my job. I love meeting new people, talking about people’s life history. It is very rewarding to be trusted and see people open up. Most people have done incredible things in their lives.”
“We will definitely be aiming to set up more Taekwondo schools in the area, we want to introduce more people, young and old, to Martial Arts. It is so good for your confidence and agility, I think everybody should at least have a try at Martial Arts or self-defence classes. I will stay working as a carer, for sure. And I’ve got the World Championships coming up in October 2018, so the coming months I will be quite busy!”
