Hundreds of pounds raised after gymnasts’costumes stolen
Alison Rennie
Generous well- wishers have rallied round young gymnasts who had their costumes stolen from a bus hours before a show.
So far, £1,500 has been raised for Dynamite Gymnastics Club, which runs a beginners’ class in the Masonic Halls, on Broadloan, Renfrew.
The girls were in Manchester for the first display event of the season and their costumes, worth £3,500, were being stored on their coach as they stayed overnight in a church hall.
Renfrew mum Julie Wilson explained: “In the morning, we went out to start loading stuff up on the bus and saw the costumes weren’t there.
“They’re worth about £3,500 in total and each one is made to measure for each girl.”
Every year the girls get new costumes that they wear throughout the season.
There were around 70 girls in Manchester for the Gym Fusion display.
Julie, whose daughter Caoimhe was in Manchester, said the mums helped save the day.
She said: “Myself and a bunch of other mums ran to M&S and Sainsbury’s to get costumes. We did a bit of fixing up and one of the teams wore those.
“Another mum drove down to Manchester with last year’s costumes for the afternoon display and one of the other teams at the display let the girls borrow some of their costumes.”
The group launched a JustGiving page to try and cover costs.
Julie said: “It will take a while for insurance to pay out and we’re trying to recoup some of the costs.
“It could take months to settle and some teams are due to perform in as little as four weeks.”
To donate to the fund, go to JustGiving. com and search for Alannah Connolly.
It will take a while for insurance to pay out and we’re trying recoup some of the costs