A FORMER world, European, Commonwealth, and British judo champion is heading back to her North Ayrshire roots this week to celebrate the remarkable achievements of a group of 'New Scots' in the sport.

Loretta is currently the Paris Olympic Committee project director, managing the team preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics in both judo and wrestling.

But she's returning to her home town of West Kilbride to honour a personal commitment she made to the young judoka last year that she would come back to mark their latest gradings.

And she has taken time from her demanding schedule to reward these individuals for their dedication and progress in judo.

The judo legend runs the Loretta Doyle Foundation, which aims to enrich the lives of the disadvantaged through free judo lessons.

Loretta DoyleLoretta Doyle (Image: Loretta Doyle Foundation)

In West Kilbride, she has seen immense success, particularly with Syrian refugee families who now live permanently in Scotland, away from their war-torn homeland, and have embraced the sport wholeheartedly.

Following the introduction of these young Syrian refugee kids to the sport of judo last year, which culminated in achieving their first red belt grading, attendance has soared with virtually all participants returning for more.

The enthusiasm was so high that additional classes were introduced to cater to new starters and those showing significant progress.

These classes have been made possible thanks to Scottish Government Funding aimed at enhancing lives through improvement of mental health and wellbeing in the community.

A ceremony being held at the Garnock Community Campus this week will see Loretta award new belts and certificates from JudoScotland, marking the advancement of participants to higher grades, including some to the Yellow Belt level.

This event symbolizes their journey towards achieving the prestigious black belt.

Joining Loretta in presenting the awards will be Susan Wright, director of JudoScotland and head coach at Clyde Judo, along with Rebecca Bradley, recipient of the Scottish 2024 Young Coach of the Year Award.

The awards ceremony promises to be a heartwarming occasion, attended by parents, carers, friends of the “New Scots,” and members of the local community.

It will take place at 5pm this Wednesday, June 19, in the dance studio at Garnock Community Campus.

The foundation extends an open invitation to all who wish to witness this inspiring event.