A TEAM of young martial artists have been handpicked to represent Great Britain at the world championships...but need thousands of pounds to help get them there.

Marley Dempsey, 12, Kaye Crisp, 17, Yves Busnello, 15 and Kesia Dempsey, 14, all train at Southend Combat Academy, in Grainger Road.

They have been selected for the Team GB squad and qualified for the International Sport Karate and Kickboxing World Championships, taking place in Athens later this year.

The championships are the most elite contest for amateur fighters and attract competitors from 45 different countries - but it will cost the squad £2,500 to get there.

Academy co-owner and coach Simon Dempsey, 40, said: “This competition is the pinnacle of our calendar and these guys and girls have trained hard for a long time.

“They have earned a well-deserved place in the British team, sacrificing evenings and weekends to train and compete. Now we need help getting them there.”

The academy has launched a crowdfunding campaign with a target of £2,500 to cover tournament fees, flights and accommodation costs for their time in Athens.

The tournament is set to take place from Wednesday, May 31 to Saturday, June 3 and is an intensive three-day tournament.

Mr Dempsey added: “It’s a multidisciplinary event and everyone will be competing in their respective weight classes.

“Marley, Kaye and Yves are competing in K One style kickboxing and then Kaye and Kesia are competing in Muay Thai kickboxing as well.

“They have already well into their training regime. They are doing some local competitions to make sure they keep active.

“They have already invested much time, effort and money themselves to get this far, traveling the country for squad selections and training days.”

The competition itself is a knock-out tournament with the final taking place on the third day.

Last year, Kaye competed at the same competition in Germany and came away as World Champion - so is heading back this time to defend her title in the Muay Thai category.

The British team also did well as a whole, scooping the second biggest haul of medals behind the host nation.

But this year Simon, who has run the club for four years, has extra reason to be proud as his two daughters will be competing.

He said: “I’ve always kept them back from opportunities more than anyone else because I didn’t want it to look like I was favouring them.

“But they earned this chance on their own and that’s great for them.

“This is something these guys dream of, a chance to become a genuine World Champion in their chosen disciplines so I really hope people can get behind the campaign.”

Visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/simon-dempsey-1