New Year's Wish - Upgrade Our Equipment

Aim

We plan to improve our facilities to provide a safe and enjoyable place for our growing number of members

WHO ARE WE + WHAT DO WE DO?

Hi. We are Axminster Gymnastics Club and based in Devon. We are a not for profit organisation that provides gymnastics classes to children from 6 months - 16 years of age. Our journey began in 2017 from the back of a transit van where we brought gymnastics sessions to a local village hall. Since then we have grown and grown, moving into a local leisure centre and finally our own facility. However we have kept the prices of our recreational gymnastics for all sessions the same for the entire time (although our costs have increased dramatically). This is to try and provide access to the sport for as many people as possible. It does also mean that we do not have much money spare for new equipment and the specialist equipment required for artistic, or apparatus based gymnastics. 

All areas of the club have grown with parent and toddler groups providing important social interactions for both parents + children alike. Helping create and maintain good relationships within families and helping with social isolation of new or perhaps first time parents.

We have a growing number of 12-16 year old members who can socialise and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of sport in a safe environment. They gain increased fitness, a sense of community + support. Many of them choose to volunteer with us, to become a leader and inspire the younger members of the club giving them confidence and leadership skills. From here they can go on to gain work experience and small parts of paid employment which will help them in future employability and in applying for their future educational choices. 

Teamwork, friends and community through our display group....

We also have a growing number of talented children whose skills are improving all the time and we would like to continue to enhance their training environment and give them the best opportunities.

WHAT THE MONEY WILL PROVIDE...

We are fortunate enough to have been offered a number of pieces of equipment from a club that is moving. This means the amount of equipment we can buy for our target amount is much higher than if we were to buy everything new. We would like to purchase the following things that we think will have the most positive impact for all our gymnasts....

A Sprung Floor - £4,000 - this will allow all our gymnasts to perform their floor skills on a cushioned surface, it will be such a delight.

A Newer Beam + Professional matting - £2,250 - this will replace a very old, hard beam with a new cushioned beam which all the children will use. The matting fits the beams correctly and we will no longer need to worry about gaps + mats moving apart.

A Stable Landing Mat for our Bars - £1,000 - this will replace what is currently a very uneven surface area, providing a stable surface for staff or parents to support children on and a safer landing area for all.

A Moveable Foam Pit Area £1,600 - this will give a fun + safe activity for all ages and allow our higher level gymnasts to increase their skills from the bars, beam + vault. We are sure it will be a hit at parties and for all members.

Removal Costs - £1,200 - we need to hire 3 x Luton vans + pay for fuel to collect and deliver the equipment - with a new sprung floor costing a minimum of £20,000 the saving we will make is worth the travel and if you can help us deliver all of this that would be amazing!

Below is a short informative video giving more information about this project.

STRETCH TARGET

We do have a stretch target amount of £20,000. This is because although we have only been in our current home for 1 year we have almost out grown our space. We are working behind the scenes to find a more permanent, long term home with a larger floor area, disability access (as we are currently upstairs only) and better ceiling clearance. A place that would be more accessible to those without their own transport would be excellent, as we currently have some people who cannot attend our sessions due to the need to drive to our current facility. A move would cost money for a planning application, building work and refurbishment and we would like to start to save for our long term dream and begin to make it come true.

This project successfully funded on 28th February 2020