THE director of an international disability charity says he will consider quitting the UK to carry on getting EU funding.

Ray Sweeney said the Disability Karate Federation, based in Blackbird Leys, could face a serious cashflow problem when the UK leaves the union.

The organisation, which runs disabled karate classes in Oxford, the UK and on the continent, has benefited from tens of thousands in European Commission cash.

In the past few weeks it won another £55,000 to take students on exchange trips to Spain and Sardinia.

But now Mr Sweeney is looking at spending the next six months working out a long-term funding strategy – inside the UK or out.

The father-of-two is hoping the federation can stay based in Oxford and continue working with European disability charities to piggyback off their EU funding.

But he warned that if that was not possible: "It may be that one day we even relocate our central office to a European country."

Mr Sweeney, who lives in Old Marston with his wife, said: "The European Commission has provided us with a great deal of funding and we have had fantastic outcomes in the work we have done with that money. It's been incredible.

"They have been really supportive and the UK government hasn't."

The federation has just put in another bid for 400,000 Euros to run an international project researching the effects of inclusive karate clubs and looking at developing Europe-wide qualifications for teaching martial arts in an inclusive way.

But, fearing that Brexit could sever the federation's chances to managing such a project, Mr Sweeney has already started talking with a German Olympic organisation about whether it could manage the scheme and keep the federation involved.

He added: "I don't want to cut ties with Europe as they are really important. Our focus is disabled people – not England or Europe. All the rest of the stuff is nonsense. They are obstacles that need to be overcome to improve people's lives."

Mr Sweeney, a former businessman, left the UK in 2000 to set up an inclusive karate club in a Spanish village.

He moved to Oxford for his children's education – his oldest son, who has autism, went to Cherwell School and is now at Birmingham University while his youngest son still goes to Magdalen College School.

He officially launched the Disability Karate Federation in 2013 in the wake of the 2012 London Olympics.

Research after the games found that 87 per cent of people with disabilities wanted to take up more sport, but only 17 per cent were participating in any sport at all.

Since its creation, the federation has supported 2,000 people in the UK, using special equipment and adapted sequences to make martial arts more accessible up to black belt.

The federation moved its headquarters to Blackbird Leys Community Centre in June.

Mr Sweeney added: "For us it has always been about linking people up. People from different countries – disabled and non-disabled people building lifelong friendships.

"Nothing will divert us from our path."