About Us - Lighthouse Tai Chi®

Lighthouse Tai Chi® was established in 2010 by Helena Kean & David Pelling, with the aim of bringing the health, fitness and well-being benefits of tai chi and qigong to people of all ages. 

We provide professional instruction as part of a complete service package for leisure industry clients, sports centres, and community centres, seeking to hire a professional, specialist service that is safe and effective. 

Lighthouse is a recognized fitness and wellbeing brand in the UK with three registered trademarks. We are based in Burnley, Lancashire with weekly classes across East Lancashire, online classes and video memberships that go worldwide and workshops in UK and Europe.

Here is a short video to introduce Lighthouse Tai Chi®

Helena and David have many years of experience, both learning and teaching tai chi. They continue their own studies to develop their teaching and tai chi skills, passing on the benefits they have seen from their own experience. 

They work closely with leisure industry clients and NHS health professionals to provide appropriate tuition and support. They have both studied the NHS Physical Fitness programme and Mindfulness training and have First Aid and Defibrillator certification.

David Pelling is a certified Tai Chi and Qi Gong Instructor and a Black Belt instructor of White Cloud Kung-Fu system, created by Master Derek Gordon, incorporating Wing Chun, Xing Yi and Tai Chi Chuan. 

He has trained in various Martial Arts for over 30 years and has been teaching tai chi for over 10 years. David has trained with Michael Fielden, Grandmaster Liming Yue, Sifu Aamir Rafi, Barry Spendlove and Dr Paul Lam and attended training opportunities with Neil Ripsky, Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei, Sifu Steven Burton, Master Faye Yip, Master Tary Yip and Master Kit Wah Hui. He also has experience in Judo and Systema defence.

David also has YMCA Personal Training Level 3, Gym Instructor and Hiit Training qualifications, Aqua Instruction, NVQ National Coaching Certificate Level 2 and Sport England 'Keeping children safe in sport', an Open University Certificate in Health and Social Care, and an Advanced Sports and Exercise Nutrition Advisor Diploma.

Helena Kean-Pelling is a certified Tai Chi and Qigong instructor with over 15 years of experience. She began her tai chi and qigong training with Sharon Poole, an instructor trained by Paul Underhill of Gateway Tai Chi Chuan. 

At Steven Burton's Dragon Society Martial Arts School, she studied Chen style tai chi and was proposed by her instructors Steven Burton and David Eccles, to train as an instructor with Grandmaster Liming Yue at the Tai Chi Centre in Manchester. Her studies have also included Kung Fu, pressure point combat and Krav Maga. 

She has also trained with Sifu Aamir Rafi, Andrew Plant and Dr Paul Lam, in addition to attending training opportunities with Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei, Master Faye Yip, Master Tary Yip, Grandmaster Tom Muncy and Adrian Simon.

Helena also has C&G Adult Education Certificate 7307, Aqua Instruction, Pilates and YMCA fitness qualifications, Workshop Leader, and Mental Health First Aid. She can speak French, German, Spanish and Italian and had studied Alexander Technique.

 

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