A martial arts club is holding a very special Hallowe'en event this evening to help raise funds for one its members who was viciously attacked by an XL Bully dog earlier this month.

The attack on 12-year-old Ayva Batkin, of Nantyglo, left with her life changing injuries. 

She had to have surgery where skin and ligaments were taken from her leg to replace the damage done to her arm.

Ayva, along with her brother Logan, has been a student with Heads of the Valleys Tang Soo Do since the start of 2024.

And the club has vowed to help her and her family by holding a 'Spar-athon' involving 50 one-minute fights - all in fancy dress - on October 31.

The hope is to raise enough money for the family so they can enjoy a nice day out together.

Instructor Master Angus Rogers, who has won Coach of the Year twice at the South Wales Argus Sports Awards, said: “Before the attack the Ayva and Logan never missed a class, taking their training very seriously.

“It was humbling to hear form Ayva’s mum that one of the first things she said after her ordeal was that she’d be missing her Tang Soo Do classes - this is a true testament to Ayva’s tenacious character and determination not to let what happened affect her.

“With this in mind we wanted to make a small gesture to show just how much she means to us as a club, as she’s already back at the dojang training solely using kicks. She is an inspiration to other youngsters in helping to overcome adversity.

“We hope to raise enough funds for Ayva and her family to have a nice day out to tray and make them forget what happened.

Ayva's mum Louisa said: "My daughter is the definition of bravery. While her arm was severely damaged one of the first things she said to me was she was so glad it was her and not her brothers, knowing especially her younger brother is so small.

"She is my inspiration and any person should aspire to have her bravery and get up and go - which has made me forget she is only 12! I am so proud of her."

Mr Rogers said: “We’ve setup a GoFundMe page with a target at £1,000 and are currently at £970 - the support from the local martial arts community has been incredible. Hopefully the people of south Wales and beyond can get behind this event to help us reach our target.”

To donate go to Gofundme and search for 'Fundraiser for our Ayva'.