Bristol-based Brazilian Jiu Jitsu association secures nearly £400k investment
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu association, Roger Gracie Bristol (RGB), has received an investment of £390,000 from impact investor BBRC (Bristol & Bath Regional Capital) to deliver significant community impact.
RGB generates social impact with initiatives that bring people in personal crisis ‘onto the mats’ through interventions, programmes and concessionary rates for struggling and vulnerable people.
Since its inception in 2017, RGB has supported more than 30 vulnerable women, 38 ex-military and 35 Avon & Somerset policemen with self-defence skills. It has also provided eighteen child scholarships for families struggling with costs, and a crisis management rehabilitation program for children with ongoing issues of parental drug addiction, neglect and abuse, while employing seven members of the local community.
It is led by two brothers who grew up in the Southmead area, with its clubs in Southmead and East Bristol providing seven-day-a-week training sessions to over 800 members. The brothers hope to more than double this to 2,000 plus people with this investment from BBRC’s impact investment fund City Funds, with plans for three further clubs in South Bristol, West Bristol and Central Bristol in October, January and April.
Luke Chamberlain, head coach and co-founder at RGB, said: “Our mission at Roger Gracie Bristol is to empower over 2,000 members of the Bristol community with Jiu-Jitsu as a way to find focus and support, as well as experience an inclusive and safe space to build friendships, and in turn improve mental health and well-being for individuals and their wider families.”
Jari Moate, investment director at BBRC, says: “Roger Gracie Bristol as an organisation is perfectly aligned with our values at BBRC. We look for impact-driven businesses that offer real support and value for local communities.
“RGB provides an incredible community hub that is delivering significant impact for local people and will be able to double its efforts as a result of this investment. It’s great to hear the stories of the people that have benefitted from its training sessions.”
With an all-inclusive ‘no judgment’ ethos and all-round health and wellbeing benefits, RGB aims to provide world-class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tuition and training to thousands of people using the approach developed by the Brazilian 10-times world champion Roger Gracie.
