Fighting for change: How a SWEF Enterprise Grant helped Jack turn Mixed Martial Arts into a force for mental health

Based in Taunton, Jack Dedames received a grant of £1,750 from the SWEF Enterprise Fund to grow and develop his Mixed Martial Arts business.

“Martial arts changed my life,” says Jack.

“When I was younger I was just really struggling and got into lots of trouble. I didn’t have anywhere to channel all the stuff I really needed to release.”

After being labelled as “disruptive” at school, and eventually getting an ADHD diagnosis, Jack cycled rapidly through a range of different jobs. He says that discovering MMA was the turning point when he decided to realise his potential and think about starting a business.

“After that I didn’t look back,” he says.

“Now I know how much martial arts can help people in every walk of life. It can show the value of working really hard for something. Now, with my business, I’ve learned that hard work really gets you places.”

Jack runs MMA training business Project Mayhem which he says is a “massive opportunity”. The grant helped him grow and develop his work, enabling him to buy his own safety wall cladding and kickboxing bags.

Now he feels he’s in a good place to offer the best training based on his growing reputation and past personal success winning medals in competitions.

“The bags and cladding your organisation funded have helped enormously and I’m very grateful for your support,” he says.

Mental health benefits  

Through his business, Jack has seen first-hand how MMA can support people’s mental health and improve their lives.

“One of our people was going down a really bad path,” he says.

“He’d come into the gym really angry. But coming to a session helped him. Within a few months they’d turned things around.”

“I think MMA is a positive way for people to channel their energy rather than them going down a bad route. And that can be easy if you haven’t got anyone to lead you in the right direction.”

When his business first launched, one of the early parts of the project was Monday Mayhem – a free day-time open session for anyone affected by mental health problems. Due to work and family commitments, Monday Mayhem is currently on pause. But Jack hopes to start it again in the future.

“It almost felt like a youth centre for people with mental health problems,” he says.

“People could come in and hit the pads for a bit – and I could give them a bit of help if they asked for it.”

“We really targeted the people that are struggling. And if it helped people with their mental health – or get them the motivation to find a job – that felt really rewarding for me.”

Our SWEF Enterprise Fund provides business grants of up to £2,000 to young business owners aged between 18-30 in Somerset, North Somerset and BANES. We have grants available for Start-Ups and Established Businesses.

Photo caption: Jack (pictured left) with Project Mayhem member.