Signed by the WAG Paris Olympic Team

Enter the raffle today for your chance to win a framed Olympic Leotard signed by the Women’s Artistic Paris Olympic Team

Tickets are £3 for one entry or £10 for four entries.

There are two prizes to win. Both Olympic leotards have been professionally framed and also signed by the WOMEN’S ARTISTIC PARIS OLYMPIC TEAM making this a unique fantastic prize for any gymnastics fan!

The raffle will close on Sunday 23rd March 2025 at 3pm, to mark the end of the Artistic Gymnastics British Championships in Liverpool.  The winner will be contacted on the same day to arrange delivery or collection. Please read the full terms and conditions below.

All proceeds will go to our programmes. You’ll be helping the most disadvantaged people and communities in the UK; from people living with dementia, to people in hardship, struggling to find employment.  We use gymnastics to bring real improvements to the lives of people struggling with disability, hardship and crisis. 

So, please buy your ticket, share this with your friends and family, and good luck!

Warm wishes,

All the team at British Gymnastics Foundation 

Applications for the 2025 Limitless Programme are now OPEN 

We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2025 Limitless Programme – an empowering initiative designed to support individuals in gaining a Gymnastics Activity Instructor qualification while also enhancing confidence, well-being, and employability.  

In fact, 9 out of 10 learners from our 2024 cohort are now coaching at gymnastics clubs! This programme combines practical training, mentorship, and personal development to help you build a strong foundation for your future while gaining valuable life skills. 

Who Can Apply? 

This opportunity is open to anyone who will be 18 or older by 1^st July 2025. No prior gymnastics experience is required – just an interest in sport and a willingness to learn! 

We particularly welcome applications from individuals who may experience barriers to accessing similar opportunities, including but not limited to: 

1. People from low-income or underrepresented communities 
2. Disabled people, neurodivergent individuals, and those with long-term health conditions 
3. People from ethnically diverse communities 
4. Individuals who are experiencing or have experienced challenging life circumstances 

We recognise that every individual has a unique journey, and we are committed to flexibility and additional support where needed. If you do not meet the criteria above but believe you would benefit from this programme, we encourage you to apply. 

Programme Details 

Location: Lilleshall National Sports Centre, King’s Gym 
Dates: 

1. Arrival & Welcome: Monday, 30th June 2025 (afternoon) 
2. Course Duration: Tuesday, 1st July – Friday, 4th July 2025 (9AM – 5PM) 

This is a fully residential programme, with accommodation, travel, and meals provided at no cost to you. 

By completing the programme, you will gain a Gymnastics Activity Instructor qualification, enabling you to deliver recreational gymnastics to children and young people in community settings. 

Hear from some of our previous Limitless learners: 

“It’s been an aid for me to step on the correct path for my career in the future and you’ve made me believe that it is limitless to what I can achieve. I’m forever grateful for stepping into this opportunity.” 

“The course was brilliant. I felt really supported by the British Gymnastics Foundation team while I was Lilleshall, Aisha was a brilliant tutor.” 

“Thanks to the British Gymnastics Foundation and the Limitless Programme I was able to grow in confidence and realise my potential.” 

“Honestly, I just didn’t realise how much the programme would make me learn about myself and improve my confidence.”  

We are very excited to offer you the opportunity to bid on this very special Spring Floor, used by the Paris Olympians.

The British Gymnastics Foundation have been donated this Spring Floor that we are pleased to auction off to raise funds for our programmes. Huge thanks go to British Gymnastics for this incredible donation.

You will be able to bid on the floor on our eBay page here https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/britishgfound-0 from Thursday 23rd January to Sunday 2nd February 7pm.

Please click on the button below for the finer details.

Any questions?

If you have any questions regarding the equipment or the auction, please email [email protected] and we will try to answer any queries as soon as possible.

With thanks to British Gymnastics for this generous donation.

An exciting opportunity exists at British Gymnastics Foundation for new Independent Trustee who can offer guidance, support, expertise and an objective perspective on the key matters of Commercial & Sponsorship.

In order to expand and compliment the highly skilled existing Board, British Gymnastics Foundation is looking for a leader, with a myriad of experiences across either business, sport or both. We have ambitions to support next generation leaders, so although helpful, previous Board experience is not essential for the role; and we have a good induction process to support all new Board members.

Growing our Impact.

The past 12 months has seen the British Gymnastics Foundation grow its impact, with an increase in the number of people supported within our public benefit programmes. Most notably, the Foundation’s Love to Move programme, which is an age and dementia friendly chair-based gymnastics programme, delivered all over the UK to benefit the most vulnerable older people in our communities. Love to Move now has over 960 trained deliverers.

The Foundation’s Hardship Grants programme has also awarded £395,725, saving 1,182 individuals from dropping out of the sport they love due to significant financial hardship.

Your experience.

If you have experience at Director or Senior Management level, British Gymnastics Foundation would like to encourage you to apply for this position which, will require an investment of time annually of approximately 4 – 8 days to help British Gymnastics Foundation deliver a Strategic Plan that will build on our successes and further develop the charity; helping us to reach out to more people who are most in need, transforming their lives through gymnastics. To complement our current Trustee skills, we are ideally looking for candidates with commercial acumen and expertise in attracting and developing commercial sponsorship. A working knowledge and experience of environmental sustainability would also be advantageous.

Representation matters to us.

We welcome applicants from underrepresented groups, as we value the importance of diversity and inclusion. We encourage disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to apply. Your lived experiences will immeasurably enrich our strategic discussions.

British Gymnastics Foundation is committed to equal opportunities and aims to provide a discrimination-free environment for staff, volunteers and everyone involved in our work. We are committed to policy and working practices which are in line with the Equality Act 2010; and we warmly welcome the opportunity of working with a diverse range of people in all that we do. We are very proud to have advanced the inclusion, equality and diversity agendas through the work of our programmes to date; and this work has been recognised as contributing to the achievement of the Advanced Level of the Equality Standard for Sport, for British Gymnastics & the British Gymnastics Foundation.

Our Board meetings take place four times per year in March, June, September and December. If any candidates have accessibility requirements, we are committed to doing what is needed to ensure that they can participate in every aspect of our Board.

To apply for this exciting and challenging opportunity, please send a CV and covering letter to:

Patrick Bonner, Head of British Gymnastics Foundation
E-mail: [email protected]

If you would like to have an exploratory conversation regarding the role,
please email us and we will be happy to arrange a discussion with you.

Love to Move is improving the quality of life for those living with Dementia at Coombe House 

Coombe House in Liskeard, Cornwall is a family-run residential home, that specialises in caring for people with Dementia, where residents are warmly welcomed as part of the family.  

Ann, the Founder of Coombe House told us: “It’s our speciality, it’s what we do best. We believe that people with dementia deserve the best quality of life.”

One of the residential home’s proudest achievements to date is introducing Love to Move, our chair-based exercise programme, specially designed to get older people moving and functioning better. Love to Move uses music from eras that benefit and connect with individuals at the home. As a result, they are more likely to join in when it’s music they remember from the past.  

Penny, who runs the sessions told us: “We run the Love to Move sessions every Wednesday and it’s really given us all the opportunity to get together. I think it’s lifted the spirits of people within the home, and the staff as well. It’s not work-based, it’s just all about having fun and being relaxed together.” 

Ann added: “Since Penny began the sessions, we’ve noticed a real improvement in their wellbeing. Their mobility and safety have increased, and people are walking around much better.” 

Thanks to Love to Move, people at Coombe House have been given a new lease of life with each session. Penny commented: “One lady, Joyce, never really wanted to come out of her room previously. She’d keep herself to herself, she was very quiet and didn’t want to socialise. Slowly over time, being encouraged to come to sessions, she’s found that she enjoys Love to Move – she’s found comfort in it.” 

We were able to chat personally with Joyce’s daughter Rowena who told us: “It’s always been a concern to carers at Coombe House that my mother spends lots of time on her own. Having activities like Love to Move, with the music she enjoys, is a reason for her to come and join in with the others. I believe it’s added to her quality of life hugely.” 

Summarising their journey with Love to Move so far, Ann added: “Everyone here has got something from it. There are many different types of dementia, but it is possible to bring everyone together in one room and deliver something that everyone benefits from.” 

Coombe House Residential Home is a shining example of how compassion and connection can make a world of difference in caregiving.

Alternatively, if you have any questions about Love to Move, please email us [email protected]

Winner of the Carer Category, BBC Radio Berkshire Make a Difference Awards.

“If you do what you love, then it’s not a job.” Tamsin Hudson.

Tamsin Hudson currently has two part-time jobs as a Dementia Specialist within the care industry and a Dementia Cafes Coordinator with Age Concern. Added to this, Tamsin also volunteers supporting other dementia initiatives in her local area.

Tamsin is this year’s winner of The BBC Radio Berkshire Make a Difference Awards in the Carer Category. We chatted to Tamsin about her work and specifically Love to Move, as she uses Love to Move regularly in her Dementia Café.

How did you hear about Love to Move?

I heard about it with my Age Concern hat on – Kate at Get Berkshire Active talked to us about Love to Move and encouraged us to take it up.
The people who come (to Love to Move) probably spend a lot of time sitting in armchairs at home, often on their own because carers are so busy. They give it a go and that’s the point. The more often you do it – you create a path in your braincells.

Love to Move is great for carers too. They often have a life of grind – sorting out all the appointments for their loved one. It can be really lonely. So, they enjoy joining in too. One lady’s husband told me ‘I really struggled with this the first time, but I think I’m getting better!’

What would you say to someone considering training to deliver Love to Move?

When I’m doing the Dementia Café, I always have to think about what activity we can do next. We have to fundraise for everything, and while we do take part in activities we need to pay for, sometimes it’s just me. I have to think about how I can equip myself, and often at the last minute. I can do Love to Move at any time, in most spaces and I don’t need anything special.

I love doing it! And it also gets everyone enthused. It helps to integrate people with and without dementia – it ticks every box. Anyone can do it and they love it!

What would you say to someone thinking about attending Love to Move?

I tend to say, just come along and give it a go, I promise you you’ll have fun! This is all seated – you can step in and out as you need to, and honestly, it’s going to be the most fun you’ve had in quite a while.

Once I get going, I’m grinning the whole time. It’s lovely to see people trying so hard, lovely to see volunteers joining in as well – it’s just great for everybody. At the end they always say “that was really fun, thank you very much.”

We’re incredibly proud of Tamsin for bringing Love to Move to the attention of so many and making such a difference to people and their carers.

Train to deliver Love to Move

You can train online and we even have an evening course available coming up soon so that you can fit the course in easily with work!

Alternatively, if you have any questions about Love to Move, please email us [email protected]

We welcome Daniel Booth as our new Trustee

Daniel is a Director at KPMG with over 13 years of financial experience. He commenced his career as an auditor and for the last 10 years has provided financial due diligence services to over 50 businesses during acquisition and disposal processes. Daniel has previous Board experience through the KPMG Manchester office Shadow Board and also supports junior team members as part of the Next Generation Mentoring scheme.

Dan was a keen cricketer in his junior days, representing England U19s in the 2007 Indoor Cricket World Cup, with his spare time now focussed on keeping pace with his young family.

Dan told us “I am delighted to be joining the British Gymnastics Foundation Board. I am extremely excited to be able to support great community causes such as the Love to Move and Limitless programs that have already proven to be a resounding success. I hope to utilise my financial experience to support the Foundation on its financial sustainability agenda in order to grow these programs and develop new initiatives. I also look forward to using my technical audit knowledge to support governance projects such as the Foundation’s new Audit Committee as the Foundation secures its Code for Sports Governance Tier 3 status.”

It is Dementia Action Week (15th – 21st May), so here at the British Gymnastics Foundation, we are sharing quotes and stories from participants, deliverers, carers and loved ones who attend Love to Move classes.

Love to Move was designed especially for people living with dementia, and while hundreds of participants are benefitting from the programme all over the UK, our aim is for everyone living with dementia to have access to this life changing programme.

Ruth has been attending Love to Move in Hemingford. Ruth told us:

“I heard about this class from attending the Hub Club and it sounded like a great movement class for people my age. Since starting the class, I have been doing daily exercises at home which is really helping with my movement.

It is a pleasure to take part in the class and I find it very enjoyable. I have made some fantastic friendships so far since joining the class. Everyone is so friendly and it’s nice to have the volunteers looking out for us in the village. The friendship and togetherness this class brings our community is wonderful. Each week I sit next to someone different – it is as much about socialising with others as it is doing the exercises!”

Take action this Dementia Action Week

There are many ways to support Love to Move and help us on our journey to reach everyone living with dementia. Thank you for your support.

• Please ‘like’ ‘re-tweet’ ‘follow’ ‘comment’ and ‘share’. You can help us to spread the word by sharing this article, our posts and information with your family and friends.
• Volunteer or Fundraise. From volunteering in a Love to Move class, to taking on a fundraising challenge. Email us at [email protected]  to register your interest.
• Donate, train and keep informed. Click on the buttons below to donate to our work, find out more about what it takes to deliver Love to Move, and to sign up to our Email- Newsletter.

A Love to Move session has been established in Steyning as the result of a fantastic new partnership between Right at Home, Steyning Parish Council and Love to Move deliverers, Cherry and Anna.

Sport England’s Together Funding was made available through the British Gymnastics Foundation to help kick start the new session to benefit older people living with long-term health conditions such as dementia, in the local area. The partnership has been, and continues to be, first class.

The owner of Right at Home, Anton, has, himself completed the Love to Move training, so fully understands the benefits of the programme. The deliverers feel supported by the partner organisations and staff have been mentored to complete their own Love to Move training and assessment to further support the sessions. Deliverers have recently requested raised steps for some clients to give them better access to movements during the class, and Right at Home immediately provided these.

This social element has developed into an active social gathering which is helping to alleviate the isolation felt by so many older people.

As popularity for the sessions grew, they relocated from a small side room to the largest room at the Steyning Centre. As well as the proven benefit of the movements within Love to Move sessions, the participants have also benefited from the social impact they’ve seen from attending the sessions and staying on for a coffee and a chat afterwards. It started as a polite drink and has grown to finding a friend to sit next to and properly engage with. This is just as true of carers and participants. Music is personalised at the end of a session and the deliverers get requests coming from participants and carers. The power of music and memories cannot be under stated.

I am extremely pleased with the expertise and loving care that my wife, Ruth, receives each week at the Love to Move group. Ruth who has dementia and restricted movement, appears to be really enjoying herself doing the various exercises and participating modules. She is also clearly benefiting from the social aspect of the meetings. I am very impressed by the energy and competence of the staff, who also have the ability to make the group members feel that they are being cared for in a personal way.

Terry, carer and husband of Ruth.

Love to Move classes have been used to make links across services.

The Steyning group have been visited by Age UK who, as a result have started conversations so that two of the participants now have some day care and the carers have some respite. They are due to be visited next by West Sussex 4 Sight, vision support, so they can sign post clients to benefit from the Love to Move sessions.

Could you be part of a partnership?

This is a fantastic example of how setting up a new Love to Move class in your area can done in partnership with other local organisations. If you are interested in training to deliver, or if you are an organisation that could add something to a Love to Move partnership, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]