Northern Enterprise Awards 2022 | 74 Oct22542 A community gymnastics club with a big heart, Sherburn Community Gymnastics Club (SCGC) is passionate about offering its services to everyone and anyone! We speak to the club’s Founder as it gains recognition in the Northern Enterprise Awards 2022. Established in 2007 by Amanda Alderson, Sherburn Community Gymnastics Club began life running out of a high school based in Sherburn in Elmet, a village in North Yorkshire. Originally set up to bring gymnastics to the small but thriving community, where there currently existed only a football and rugby club, the club initially had 28 gymnasts over two sessions per week. The demand for gymnastics training in the community and local area was so high that the SCGC moved into its own custom-fitted facility in 2017 and now boasts more than 450 gymnasts ranging from 8 months of age to over 50 years old! Renowned for being a friendly and fully inclusive club that truly believes that every individual can achieve their target goals through gymnastics, the club differentiates itself by offering gymnastics to anyone who wants to train, regardless of ability. The club provides one-to-one tuition for gymnasts with additional needs and, having charity status means that SCGC is able to offer its services and classes to everyone. “We offer classes to babies from the age of 8 weeks old through to competitive, adult, freestyle gymnastics and even display gymnastics,” enthuses Amanda. “Our display team consists of 29 gymnasts of varying age who are currently training to participate in the World Gymnaestada at Amsterdam in July 2023, as part of the Great Britain teams!” Despite being the club Founder, Amanda is keen to stress that the entire operation is run as a collaborative team effort, with all staff members having an equal say and everyone being treated with respect. The coaching team can learn to teach from the age of 14 with a basic qualification, therefore Amanda teaches transferable skills, too, which the young adults can take into their working or further educational lives. “We promote teamwork, communication, and confidence, and the higher qualified coaches and team members openly mentor others to gain both parties skills and knowledge,” she explains. “As a club, when recruiting we mainly look for passion and a drive to learn as without those the workforce would just plod along not wanting to thrive and stretch themselves.” The trends that affect the gymnastic industry are generally financially orientated and when the cost-of-living increases Amanda notices a decrease in club members. Luckily, being the only club of its kind in the area means that SCGC benefits from having local leisure centres sending their gymnasts on to the club once their skills surpass their training abilities. “We rely mainly on word-of-mouth referrals, which is the best form of advertising for us. We do actively use Facebook to let people know who we are and what we do, and to promote our Summer Galas and fairs around the area, so the gymnasts can show their family and friends what they do in displays.” Recently, SCGC gained recognition in the SME News Northern Enterprise Awards 2022 for its commitment, dedication, and hard work, earning itself the prestigious title of Most Welcoming Gymnastics Club - North Yorkshire. Understandably delighted, Amanda tells us of recent events that have helped SCGC to earn this accolade. “We have been working closely with another team who are attending the World Gymnaestrada called Spartac. They are predominately a disability group who mainly have Down syndrome and we are working together to link the teams in a joint display of gymnastics and display around the Country and Internationally in Amsterdam. Our own gymnasts have grown in confidence and their communication skills are developing as they now realise some people have additional needs and it is society who need to step up and accept these needs.” From working with differently abled gymnasts, the members of SCGC have created new friendships, helping each and every one of them to grow in their own personal journeys. Amanda is looking to become even more inclusive in the future as she is hoping to expand her older generation classes, as she has coaches specifically for this group of people. Finally, as a charity, Amanda and SCGC are always looking for companies and individuals to sponsor pieces of equipment at the club and would be delighted to hear from any interested parties! Contact: Amanda Alderson Company: Sherburn Community Gymnastics Club Ltd Web Address: https://sherburngymnastics.co.uk Most Welcoming Gymnastics Club - North Yorkshire
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