Sport Northern Ireland Project Re-Boot: Activate has provided £5,000 of match funding
Investing in Planet Gymnastics
Londonderry, Derry and Strabane, United Kingdom
Aim
Investing in Planet Gymnastics, purchasing new equipment and training staff and volunteers in preparation for expansion.
1. Introduction
Hi, I’m Louise. I’ve been a gymnastics coach for over 20 years and a gymnast for as long as I can remember. My fondest memories as a child were the ones I spent at my local gymnastics club, a place where I always felt a sense of belonging. My coach, my friends, the gymnastics community and the reward of overcoming challenges and learning new skills have empowered me so much and have had such a profound impact on the person I am today.
When I started Planet Gymnastics three years ago I knew that feeling was something I wanted to share with the every child and adult who attends the club. Now as we approach 200 members, it is more than ever a place where people experience joy, explore movement and most importantly feel a sense of empowerment and belonging.
2. Challenges
Keeping the club going has not been without it’s challenges. The biggest challenge the club has faced has been one we never could have seen coming, Covid! We faced ever changing regulations, restrictions on numbers, significant loss of income, cuts to investment on things such as staff training and equipment, minimal financial support, staffing issues and loss of qualified and experienced staff, which made it almost impossible for us to keep the club going. We did it however and we’re so grateful to be on what seems like a return to some normality.
3. Solution
We’re on a mission to bounce back even stronger than ever by recruiting and training new staff who can offer high quality sessions as well as purchasing new equipment to make our facilities better, but we need your support. We're asking for a little help from our members and anyone else who is invested in the club and wishes to see us offer a better service for our gymnasts.
We've applied for Sport Northern Ireland funding, to match any money we raise up to £5,000. Everything we raise will be reinvested back into the club in the form of new equipment for both sites, Foyle College and Magee. We will also recruit the right people and invest in their training so they can become qualified through British Gymnastics, mentored by Planet Gymnastics and confident in delivering high quality gymnastics sessions to our members.
4. Impact
£500 will enable us to buy one new roll mat or train a coach to gain their level 1 or level 2 qualification. Approximately £100 will allow us to up skill a young leader to gain their Helper Award through British Gymnastics or purchase an adjustable beam or new safety mat.
If we reach £10,000 we will spend 50% of the funds on new equipment such as roll mats and beams for both sites. The other 50% will be spent on training staff to gain British Gymnastics qualifications. £5,000 will enable us to up skill our level 1 coaches to level 2's, empowering them to take members to higher skill levels. We will be able to train our adult volunteers as Activity Instructors to give them the necessary knowledge to lead sessions. We will also up skill our young leaders to level 1s or if they're under 16 support them to complete their British Gymnastics' Helper Award. We will be so grateful for anything you can donate to support us.
5. Our Story
Why now?
As we return to some normality, after Covid, Planet Gymnastics is beginning to see growth again, but we are understaffed from the coaches we lost to other career pathways when we were unable to provide income. We need to rebuild our workforce to make us stronger than before. As the club grows we will need more equipment to service our existing and growing numbers.
Why does it matter to the future of Planet Gymnastics?
In the future we see Planet Gymnastics offering more classes as well as moving from school halls into a high quality dedicated premise. Preparing for expansion by addressing the challenges we are facing now is important for the growth and development of the club.
We'd like to thank all our members for your support so far and we hope you can contribute to our campaign to make it as successful as possible.
Many Thanks
Louise & the Team at Planet
This project successfully funded on 28th June 2023