Storm Gymnastics Club Thrive in Springburn
Club satellite funding ensures Storm Gymnastics Club can provide children in Springburn area with gymnastics lessons.
Before Covid, Springburn Leisure Centre was a beehive of gymnastics activity. Glasgow City Council-led classes at the venue gained so much popularity that they enhanced the facility with thousands of pounds worth of brand-new Gymnova equipment. However, the arrival of the pandemic meant classes were cancelled and the equipment was forced to lay dormant.
Fast forward a couple years, Storm Gymnastics Club started having space and storage issues in their Robroyston gymnastics venue. Aware of this, Glasgow City Council contacted the club with the idea of moving these sessions to Springburn Leisure Centre. This combination of budding gymnasts and state of the art equipment was the perfect formula to secure club satellite funding for Storm.
A club satellite is where a club delivers gymnastics in addition to what they offer at their existing venue or venues. Grants of up to £7,500 are available for club satellites which should respond to an identified community need for gymnastics in a particular area.
Storm Gymnastics Club coach, Janet Mensing said:
“We had a brand-new location, Springburn Leisure Centre, and required assistance with the extremely high costs related to the new venue while we looked to build up new members. It was essential for the club to receive the funding as the hall hire costs alone were so high the club would have struggled to break even, putting the future of the classes’ sustainability in doubt.”
This Springburn venue is one of three locations for Storm, where they deliver classes to 68 children aged between four and 16. There is currently only one class that is not full. This appetite for gymnastics in the area has the club setting its sights on growing and developing the sessions offered in Springburn.
Janet said:
“The leisure centre made a great facility for the children to learn in and with numbers at nearly maximum capacity the classes are going from strength to strength.
We would like to add further classes such as preschool and as the gymnasts develop, add more competition sections for them to reach their full potential. We will look to add more classes in all age groups where there is demand and are also looking to work with the local schools.”
The club satellite fund has helped Storm transition from the possibility of having to shut down a venue to now being able to start planning for expansion. This is especially significant as there was previously a lack of gymnastics opportunities in an area which has been identified as one of the most deprived in Scotland. Janet explained:
“Within the area there are a high number of refugees and those living in social deprivation. Our affordable classes allow children from the local area to get back into gymnastics after losing this opportunity due to Covid.”
Storm Gymnastics Club has been operating for over twenty years, so it is brilliant that the club has been able to use the funding to ensure they continue delivering gymnastics sessions out of three venues. You can contact Storm Gymnastics Club to find out more information on their classes.