Northampton gymnastics club aims to raise £50k after moving to improved facility

Northampton Gymnastics Academy has invested £100,000 in its new home in North Portway Close, Round Spinney Industrial Estate and held its grand opening last weekend.

A lease has been signed on the building but the club didn't meet the conditions for a Sport England grant worth £50,000, so parents of members have begun fundraising themselves.

"This gym is a lot bigger. Our old gym was 3,000 sq ft and this one is 10,000 sq ft," said head coach James Kikta.

"The old building was shared building so it was quite noisy and wasn't a great training environment.

"With a bigger facility, we have been able to fit a lot more equipment in and offer a lot more classes to reduce our waiting list."

The academy has 500 members and around 200 children on the waiting list.

Parents have begun fundraising on the club's behalf as the academy is currently running at a deficit since moving to a bigger site with higher overheads.

The extra funds will give more people the opportunity to train, can help pay for more equipment and hire more coaches.

James said his students were excited to compete with other clubs on a level playing field thanks to the new equipment in the Round Spinney gym, which include an Olympic floor area and fast tracks.