Ringwood-based 13-year-old Darla Anderson has received £2,500 of backing from Churchill Living in her quest to compete at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu AJP Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi this November.
Following her Gold medal success at the European Kids IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championships earlier this year, the talented teenager launched a GoFundMe appeal to help achieve her dream of competing further at a global level.
Fortunately for Darla, her step-gran Chris lives next door to Churchill’s new Clinton Lodge development in Lymington. Chris put a good word in with members of the Churchill team, who were so impressed by her achievements and her commitment to go further, that they pledged to match half of her total fundraising target of £5,000, to help her along the way and raise awareness of her incredible success.
Churchill’s contribution will also enable Darla to compete at the IBJJF Kid No Gi European Championships in Dublin on 9th November. If she can raise the remaining amount she will be able to attend IBJJF Pans Championships in July 2026. To find out more about Darla’s fundraising and make a donation, visit her page here: gofundme.com/f/help-darla-to-compete-at-ibjjf-pans-ajp-world-championship
In August Churchill’s Managing Director Clinton McCarthy met with Darla and her family at Clinton Lodge to learn more about her training and her future plans.
Clinton said:
“At Churchill we believe in giving something back to the communities where we live and work, and we saw an opportunity to make a real difference for a hugely talented and dedicated young athlete. Darla not only lives in Ringwood, which is where Churchill is based, but her step-gran is also our neighbour at Clinton Lodge in Lymington, so the local connection couldn’t be stronger. It’s clear that Darla has sacrificed a lot to reach such an elite level in an incredibly competitive and fast-growing sport, and we’re very proud to be able to support her on the next step of her journey. We hope this will inspire others to do the same!”
Darla’s dad Jamie added:
“Darla and I are extremely grateful to Churchill Living for helping Darla to compete on a World stage and chase her dreams of becoming a BJJ World Champion. To have a local business like Churchill Living supporting young athletes in their local community opens up opportunities that would not be readily available, thank you Churchill."
Clinton Lodge is a newly launched independent living development for the over 60s, located in the heart of Lymington. To find out more about the new apartments available to buy now call 01590 433010 our web page HERE.