Young US Gymnast Erica Wu

A gymnastics club in Croydon has been awarded a generous grant for to fund training for new coaches

The Croydon School of Gymnastics, in Thornton Heath, was handed £1000 by the ‘Cash 4 Clubs’ funding scheme, which it will use “to put staff on training courses, to assist in development of all our club members.”

The club has received the largest grant available from ‘Cash 4 Clubs’, which issues three grants a year after selection by its committee.

A spokesman for the club said: “We are delighted with the news – this grant will be an enormous help.”

Jackie Lewis, Head Coach and Director of Training at the school, told the Croydon Advertiser: “While we are a really successful club we recognise that we can’t stand still if we want to keep developing our gymnasts.”

“This £1,000 grant from ‘Cash 4 Clubs’ will ensure we can continue to develop the skills of our staff and increase the overall quality of coaching we’re providing.”

Since 2008, the funding scheme has given over £75,000 to 94 sports clubs in communities across the UK. It is funded by Betfair, the online betting service, and receives support from sporting charity SportsAid.

The independent panel of judges which assesses applications, includes sportspeople heads of sporting organizations, and Tim Lawler, CEO of SportsAid.

Clubs can apply for funding from the scheme at  www.cash-4-clubs.com