A EAST Cornwall pensioner is celebrating after earn-ing a prestigious martial arts award.

Ronald Horner, from Trematon, near Saltash, travelled to Southam-pton to take his Sixth Dan Black Belt grading – and passed with flying colours.

Ron, now aged 82, started his Taekwondo training back in 1990 at Saltash Guildhall and soon started working his way up through the various colour belts.

In 1994, he won a British Championship for Poomsae (technical patterns) in his category and, the following year, gained his First Dan Black Belt, graded by Grand Master Tony Slaney, one of the country's leading Taekwondo Masters.

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