Gym club displays go-it-alone spirit

SOUTHPORT Gymnastics Club has held its first Christmas display since being taken over by a parent-led group.

The event took place on Saturday, December 10 and saw displays from the club’s various gymnastics groups, as well as from the cheerleading squads.

Family and friends of the club’s members packed out the Segars Lane building and were treated to two hours of flips, rolls and acrobatics.

The gym coaches also got in on the fun, performing their own special display while kitted out in elf costumes.

The show was professionally filmed for a DVD which will soon be available to buy from the club.

Sarah Simcock, a member of the parent-led group which now runs the club, said after the display: “It’s been great.

“The children have been fantastic and the atmosphere has been incredible.

“We’re so grateful to still be going strong, having thought that last year’s Christmas display might have been our last.

“We’re so proud of the club and what it has achieved in the last three months.

“This weekend has shown that the club is a big part of this community and will hopefully thrive in the years to come.”

The club is now being run as a charity after facing the threat of closure under previous owners, the YMCA.

The building is being used on a two-year rentfree lease but at least £350,000 will be needed to buy the lease outright.

A number of fundraising plans are under way or under discussion, and a mystery donor has promised £50,000 if the club can raise the same amount by the end of the year.

Between 1,200 and 1,300 members use the gymnastics club each week, ranging from preschool classes for three to five-year-olds, to advanced classes which regularly compete in national competitions.