Surrounded by around 1000 community members, parents, coaches, gymnasts and local dignitaries, Clwyd House Gymnastics Academy was proud to open its brand-new facility on Colomendy Industrial Estate in Denbigh in July.
As well as Artistic Gymnastics, the new facility also allows the Academy to focus on Team Gym. Clwyd House is the first club in Wales to explore and compete in Team Gym and the development will allow the Academy to hold its own Team Gym competitions.
At the official opening on July 15th, the Academy’s gymnasts put on a wonderful display for the visitors and the club’s coaches were given their graduation certificates after successfully completing the Leadership Programme.
The Academy has been fundraising to open the new facility for the past 18 months. It was previously working out of three local leisure centres, and will continue to work out of Ruthin Leisure centre, where it serves 170 members.
Head coach Tammy Jones said: “It has been a really tough 18 months, but the support of the coaches in running the sessions while I got on with fundraising and managing the project has been wonderful.
“It is lovely to finally have a home and have a place that we can really move forward with the Club.”
Tammy said the reaction from parents and community members when they came into the new facility had been great: “We have a café and coffee lounge here and they all love it. We have really a maximised every opportunity we can with the facility. We have schools coming to use it, as well as two disability schools starting with us in September.
“We have also got a partnership with the local Middleton College, which is going to offer our gymnasts scholarships while we work with them on a gymnastics programme.
“Every objective we set out to achieve with the new facility is being met and we are very proud of that.”
The Academy is very grateful for the support of local businesses and organisations for help with funding for the new facility, including The Drappers Fund, Denbighshire Inclusion Services, Ruthin Rotary Club, Tesco Ground Works, Sport Wales, Saracens Tyres and Denbighshire Endowment Fund.
Welsh Gymnastics wishes Clwyd House Academy all the best in its new facility.