Waterford club has ‘absolutely nothing left’ after devastating Tycor fire
The Institute of Self Defence's premises was destroyed in the recent fire at the Tycor Business Centre in Waterford city
A local club has said it has “absolutely nothing left” after the devastating fire at the Tycor Business Centre in Waterford city.
The Institute of Self Defence had been running weekly self defence classes from the centre for the past 9 years.
In an interview with Waterford Live, Instructors Petronela Maslisova and Siobhán Purcell outlined the impact the fire has had on the institute.
“We lost everything. We reckon around €25,000,” Siobhán stated.
Petronela continued: “That’s in equipment. However, there is a loss in all the good times, memories, sweat and all the hard work in it.
“But yeah it comes to a material loss, I reckon about €25,000 to €30,000.”
She went on to outline how many people have been impacted by the club’s sudden closure.
“We have in total seven instructors and when it comes to our students, we have kids starting from age six up and then teens.
“In total, in those two classes we have over 30 students when it comes to kids and teens. Then when it comes to adults, you’re talking about 25 students within the adult group.”
Meanwhile, Siobhán highlighted the work that the institute does in teaching people self-defence.
“That’s teaching, especially the children, self-defence. How to be safe on the street because a lot of it does break down to more street self-defence.
“Krav Maga is almost like the other martial arts mixed together so it’s all about safety on the street but fighting is the last thing we do. That’s the last thing we ever want.
“We’re teaching that to the kids. It’s being aware, trying to avoid something, trying to deescalate something if something starts and like I said, fighting is always the last resort. The best fight is always the fight you walk away from.”
Petronella went on to highlight the GoFundMe page that the institute has set up in order to recover some of the lost equipment.
“We do have a GoFundMe page going and the aim is €6,000 which is going absolutely brilliant and I’m absolutely grateful.
“We’re thankful to people who have already donated. We still have a bit to go so we need that last push.
“The good news is that we have been able to secure ourselves a new premises, which we are very, very lucky [to have] thanks to people who reached out to us immediately after.
“Now, we are raising money to be able to cover the floor because we do need a special mat to be able to train on.
“That is working out at maybe €8,000 for the new equipment and we are hoping to reopen within the next couple of weeks.”
She also stated that the institute is holding a fundraising night in the Cove Bar on the Dunmore Road on Sunday, May 24 at 7:30pm.
She added that it is “very important” for instructors, students, family and friends to come together to discuss the future of the club.
Meanwhile, Siobhán outlined the extensive amount of equipment that the institute lost in the recent fire.
“Everything, everything. Crab boards, kick shields, gym equipment, everything, we have absolutely nothing left.
“Like Nella said, we need good floors because we do a lot of ground work on floors. If you’re knocking someone to the ground you have to be protected.
“Same with wall work, we do work against a wall, you have to have padding on the wall to keep our students safe. We have nothing except ourselves.”
Petronela concluded by saying that the instructors and students are the most important part of the institute and will ultimately be what keeps it going.
“That’s what it is, we have ourselves and it’s us instructors and our students. We are the club and that’s what actually keeps us going forward.
“We want to do it. What we need now is a minimum of €8,000 just for a floor and padding for the walls.
“Once we have that, we can start and we can get the rest of the stuff in it so this is what we need to be able to start and go ahead.”
The fire, which broke out in the Tycor area on May 9, caused extensive damage to the roof and inside of the building.
Whilst no one was injured, the fire has come as a big blow to a number of local businesses whose premises are located in the building.
You can find a link to the Institute of Self-Defence’s GoFundMe page here.