As an 11 year-old gymnast, Charlie loves nothing more than being on a trampoline, whether at his club or in his garden. Beginning with artistic and tumbling, a couple of years ago Charlie’s mum enrolled him on to a programme to try trampoline. Charlie fell in love and made the switch to trampoline and DMT.

When lockdown began in March, Charlie’s mum, Jo, was unable to carry on working. A self-employed baker and children’s cookery teacher, the new government restrictions meant Jo stopped receiving an income for several months.

As a very sociable child who trains around five to six hours per week, it would have been difficult for Charlie to stop bouncing with his friends.

Despite this, during lockdown Charlie’s club managed to keep everyone connected by setting up virtual sessions.

“Charlie’s club were absolutely amazing. Within two or three weeks they set up exercises for them and strength and conditioning. This was amazing as it was all for free, keeping the kids really involved. Although they were not on the trampolines, they were still able to see their friends on the screen.”

With the free sessions continuing throughout the summer, it really helped Charlie to be able to continue training with his club on some level. However, returning to the club would still be difficult with no income for the summer. Jo worried that Charlie would have to stop attending.

“He is so happy when he is doing trampolining, and to take that away from a child would not be very nice.”

After the Head Coach at Charlie’s club became aware of her difficult financial situation, they encouraged Jo to apply for the Hardship Grant Programme. Within a couple of weeks, Jo had been told that she had been chosen to receive a Grant.

“It has been fantastic; it has allowed Charlie to train for the next few months without us having to worry about where we are going to find the money.”

“I felt very relieved that Charlie could continue to bounce – that is what he really wants to do.

“So many things have gone wrong in the last six months. It was such a positive thing to happen and we are very grateful for the Hardship Grant.”

With support from the Hardship Grant, Jo can cover the fees for Charlie to continue training and she can buy the specialist equipment he needs, such as trampoline and DMT shoes.

Over the last few months, we have had a lot of applications for our special Covid-19 Hardship Grants. We are determined to make sure that we can help as many people as we can that need our support. To do this, we need your help to continue to provide to those in times of hardship, and to leave no one behind.

To donate £10 please text FUND10 to 70191. To donate £20 text FUND20 to 70191.  

*Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme, operating as DONATE, a charity registered in England and Wales (1149800) and Scotland (SC045106). In addition to any text donation, you will incur your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates). For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org

We are auctioning two Artistic Sprung Floors to raise money for our Leave No One Behind campaign.

One floor has previously been used at the British Championships while the other was used by our Ambassador Beth Tweddle MBE among other gymnastics greats and celebrities on the BBC Show Tumble! See more information about the equipment available here.

If you want to get your hands on a bargain for your club then all you need to do is visit our eBay page and make your bid. The audition will run from Monday 21st September at 7pm, ending on Thursday 1st October at 7pm.

All money raised will support families through our Hardship Grant Programme. Read more about our Hardship Grants.

While we have supported many families through our special Covid 19 Fund, there are many more who need our help to return to gymnastics.

Watch Lucy and Sophie’s story.

Reneyah is one of many Hardship Grant beneficiaries who is thriving in gymnastics after being given the opportunity to start trampolining by her school.

Created to help families on low incomes, Reneyah’s school set up a programme that gives children the opportunity to try a new sport to stay active and learn new skills.

It took Reneyah some time to feel comfortable on the programme but her mum, Roxanne, believes it has helped her to overcome some of her anxiety.

“She absolutely loved being part of the trampolining programme – it has given her so much confidence,” Roxanne began to explain.

“Prior to going to gymnastics, she suffered a lot with anxiety and was really withdrawn. I didn’t even think I’d be able to get her to go to the trampolining lessons in the first place.

“I spoke to the school about my daughter’s anxiety and the coach worked with her in different ways. As the weeks went by you could just see the smile come across her face.”

A few months ago, the impact of Covid-19 meant the family’s finances had to be prioritised, however, Roxanne soon discovered the Hardship Grants Programme and was thrilled to see that she was able to keep Reneyah on the programme.

“The support the grant has given us has been amazing. I don’t think she would have been able to continue doing the trampolining without it. I really think this could be something she carries on with now for life. She’s like a whole new person once she gets on a trampoline.”

Dave Marshall, Participation Director at British Gymnastics, who also sits on the Foundation Board of Trustees, added: “It’s wonderful to hear the benefits that gymnastics has had on Reneyah – the sport provides a wonderful foundation for the development of young people. It is imperative that no child is left behind in gymnastics because of their financial situation and we will do all we can to support those in need to continue in the sport they love.”

With your donations, we can support more families struggling financially to make sure that we leave no one behind. To donate £10 please text FUND10 to 70191. To donate £20 text FUND20 to 70191.  

*Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme, operating as DONATE, a charity registered in England and Wales (1149800) and Scotland (SC045106). In addition to any text donation, you will incur your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates). For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org

Sophie is one of thousands of children who is glad to be back at gymnastics after a tough few months away from the sport. But her situation could have been very different if it wasn’t for her parents and the Hardship Grants Programme.

Based in the West Midlands, Sophie lives with her mum, her dad and her sister, Olivia.

Earlier this year, Sophie’s dad, who is a computer programmer, was put on furlough as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Aged 6, Sophie has been doing gymnastics since she was 18 months old. Her club is like a second home. It’s where she gets to see all of her friends whilst doing her favourite activity.

“I love gymnastics!” Said Sophie. “Not just because it’s fun and I enjoy it but also because I get to exercise and see my friends.”

When the country went into lockdown Sophie was unable to go to gymnastics and there were doubts from her mum, Lucy, as to whether Sophie would be able to go back due to their financial situation.

Lucy explained: “We had to have a really difficult talk with Sophie to say that she might have to stop.”

“For Sophie, gymnastics is not just a hobby. For her, gymnastics is part of her life. Her coaches, her teammates and even the gym itself – it’s like a second home for her.”

As well as being physically beneficial for Sophie, gymnastics is also an activity that her mum believes helps her mentally and emotionally.

“Sophie has anxiety at times. If she’s worried about something or if something is upsetting her, gymnastics helps her to get those frustrations out.”

After constant worry that Sophie would not be able to return to gymnastics due to financial difficulties, things started to change when Lucy was directed to the Hardship Grants Programme.

“For Sophie gymnastics is not just a hobby. For her, gymnastics is part of her life. Her coaches, her teammates and even the gym itself – it’s like a second home for her.”

“It was Sophie’s deputy head teacher at her school who suggested that we look on the website at the Hardship Grants Programme to see if we were eligible for any of the funds.

“I genuinely can’t thank her enough for pointing us in that direction because if we hadn’t, Sophie wouldn’t be at gymnastics now.”

After being successful with her application, Lucy was delighted to share the news with Sophie.

“When I received the email, I cried.”

“Knowing that I could secure her place in her [gymnastics] squad and that I didn’t have to tell her that she had to stop doing gymnastics made my day.”

With your donations, we can support more families struggling financially to make sure that we leave no one behind.
To donate £10 please text FUND10 to 70191. To donate £20 text FUND20 to 70191.  

*Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme, operating as DONATE, a charity registered in England and Wales (1149800) and Scotland (SC045106). In addition to any text donation, you will incur your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates). For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org

Help us raise money for our Hardship Grants Programme and help keep gymnasts in our sport. 

Many gymnasts in our community are unable to return to the sport due to the financial impact that has been caused by the coronavirus.

On 1^st July we opened a special round of Covid-19 Hardship Grant funding for British Gymnastics members who were unable to continue taking part in gymnastics to due financial issues.

We have since been inundated with applications. We have heard some truly heart-breaking stories from families who have lost jobs, have been unable to pay utility bills and have had to use food banks for the first time in their lives.

We have managed to help many people who have been in touch however, there are still many gymnasts that need our support and we need your help to do this!

That is why we are running our ‘Leave No One Behind’ campaign, to shine a light on how our Hardship Grants Programme supports our community and makes a difference to the lives of so many gymnasts.

We will be sharing stories on our website and across our digital channels from families who have been supported by our special Covid-19 Hardship Grants to show the impact that your donation can make.

With your donations, we can support more families struggling financially to make sure that we leave no one behind.

To donate £10 please text FUND10 to 70191. To donate £20 text FUND20 to 70191.  

*Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme, operating as DONATE, a charity registered in England and Wales (1149800) and Scotland (SC045106). In addition to any text donation, you will incur your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates). For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org