Going for gold: £200,000 to bring Telford gym up to Olympic standard
An Olympic-standard gymnastics hall is being opened in Telford in the former sports hall of a town school.
Park Wrekin Gymnastics Club's is investing £200,000 in renovating the former Charlton School Sports Hall, which will include a competition quality sprung floor, which will be similar to those being used in the 2020 Olympic Games and the first of its type in the country.
It will also feature a fully sprung tumbling track, five competition balance beams, three sets of competition quality asymmetric bars, a trampoline, and a seated viewing area and coffee shop.
The new site is expected to open in the spring, and provides facilities which will be used by a number of current international gymnastics stars who are members of the club.
Christine Still, head coach at Park Wrekin and a member of the club's board of trustees, said: "We are all very excited.
"It will be a state-of-the-art, Olympic-quality gymnasium, fully equipped by Gymnova.
"It has enabled us to open our waiting lists and expand the club to better meet the needs of young and aspiring gymnasts from Telford and the West Midlands. The building work proceeds apace and we hope to be open for business in the new premises in April."
Last year Park Wrekin was approached by The Beacon Co-operative Learning Trust, which holds the lease on Charlton School Sports Hall.
Charlton School moved premises last summer, taking up a new site in Apley Avenue in Wellington.
That left its former premises vacant, and while the main section of the school has been knocked down, the sports hall was left intact. It will now be integrated into the redevelopment of the site.
The work has mainly been funded by the club's financial reserves and grant from the National Lottery. The new gym will cover 6,500 square feet.
The club also intends to significantly increase its membership base, as well as the number and frequency of its classes.
Park Wrekin, which is a charitable trust, currently has more than 400 members, from toddlers to Olympic hopefuls, and is the home club for international stars including Emily Goring, Alice Kinsella, Ellesse Oates, Isla Warr and Laura Beasley.
