Karate is a pay as you train sport. Currently £3 per session, first lesson free. There is no contract or long-term financial obligation. The only additional cost for those who wish to continue long term, is a karate suit and a yearly licence fee (currently priced at £20 for adults, £15 for juniors, as at January 2023).

Learning karate is a physical skill. It's similar to learning a musical instrument. It employs physical skills that you may never have done before. As a result, the first few sessions can appear extremely difficult at first, but as with anything it does become easier.
 

You do NOT need to be fit, thin or supple to do karate. However, karate uses muscles you've probably never used before so the first few sessions can be physically tiring. As the participants in the class have varied fitness levels those with lower fitness levels are not expected to keep up and thus train according to their fitness at their own pace. No-one will be expected to do anything that they cannot physically do.

 

Different grades within the class will perform different techniques according to their level, but for the beginner, karate starts off in its very basic form. 

With time and practice these karate basics improve and you would advance to increasingly difficult techniques and the refinement of techniques already learnt. It is at this stage that karate becomes more enjoyable and somewhat addictive.
 

No special equipment or clothing is needed as a beginner as you'll initially train in a tracksuit, T-shirt and bare feet. It is only when the participant has decided they enjoy karate and want to continue in the longer term that they buy a karate suit.