Club News | Funding boost for Flair Gymnastics
As part of an ambitious growth plan, Flair Gymnastics has secured a funding boost from Social Investment Scotland to help them to develop their facility in Shawlands and continue to offer more spaces for local young gymnasts.
The club, who have been operating for just over five years successfully applied for funding totalling £112,000, made up of a combination of grant funding and a social investment loan to support them in their aim of developing the gymnastics offering in the East Renfrewshire and Glasgow area.
Initially set up in partnership with the local authority, the club had around 100 members pre-covid. Due to demand for expansion and new recreational classes which couldn’t be delivered in the shared local authority owned venue, the club sought their own home in pollockshaws.
Thanks to the help of parents and members, they were able to move into this new venue by October 2020 – operating with a very limited set of kit, and focussing on providing a route for local gymnasts to compete in artistic gymnastics competitions.
William Smith, Director of Coaching at Flair Gymnastics said: “We always wanted to aim to provide better for our members. Competing with the restrictions of the pandemic, and the changes to what we were able to offer, we were able to think about our future and how we could maximise our space”.
In early 2021, Flair applied for funding under the Adapt and Thrive programme, which was set up to help third sector organisations adapt to the challenges of the pandemic. The £52,000 they were granted helped them to develop a new facility. In the first half of that year, the club were able to move into their new home, with a newly installed spring floor – and around 70 gymnasts, with plenty of interest from the home-grown coaching team to continue their club’s growth.
The club now has around 300 regular members, and offers a range of classes six days a week for both recreational and competitive gymnasts. The £60,000 recently awarded to Flair as a social investment loan from SIS has been put towards new equipment from Gymnova and the next phase of William’s development plan. New classes for pre-school, tumbling and recreational gymnasts have also been launched in the last year, giving more opportunities for children in the local area to access gymnastics.
The club’s coaching team has also been expanding, with the core group of six level one coaches from the early days of the club continuing to develop their skills. The club now has 11 new level one coaches who are helping to deliver the range of classes.
William continued by saying:
From day one, our club has been designed with the aim of creating an amazing experience for everyone who comes into the sport. We want everyone to share the joy, thrill and awe that gymnastics delivers while making treasured memories with teammates & coaches and building a lifelong passion for sport.
If your club is looking to take the next step, you can get in touch with our development team for support and advice.