Published on:
11
January 2013
Alloa Amateur Gymnastics Club, the oldest established club of its kind in Scotland, have moved into their new home in the WASP Gymnastics Centre, in Alloa.
The Club, which previously operated in the Speirs Centre, were involved in negotiations for over a year involving Clackmannanshire Council, WASP Community Club, Sports Scotland and Scottish Gymnastics with a view to creating a dedicated specialist gymnastics facility in the area.
The facility, which will be managed by WASP Community Club opened its doors this week. The Centre is also being used by other interested parties involved in sport, on a rental basis.
Council funding, which has supported the creation of the state-of-the-art gymnastics facility for the whole of Clackmannanshire, was agreed in early 2012.
An additional one-off payment of £61,000 to Alloa Gymnastics Club was also previously agreed by the Council.
Alloa Gymnastics Club, in association with WASP Community Club,, begun work in October to develop the new permanent gymnastics facility at Clackmannan Road, Alloa, and three months later, it is up and running, although the official opening won't be taking place until early March.
Sport and Leisure Convener, Councillor Ellen Forson, who this week went along to inspect the new facility, said: "This funding will allow the club to develop a new facility in Alloa which will maintain their position as a leading club of competition level gymnastics.
"Alloa Gymnastics Club have competitors who have competed at the highest national and international levels.
"This new facility will be an enormous boost to gymnastics, and various other sports across Clackmannanshire, and will act as a catalyst for further gymnastic development in Clackmannanshire, supporting the already very successful pre-school and primary school gymnastic programmes."
As well as Councillor Forson some of the young members of the Alloa Gymnastics Club took the chance to have a look around their new home.
Wasp Community Club Chairman, Greig Strang, said: "The completion of the Gymnastics Centre is huge step for Wasp Community Club to expand its involvement in a variety of sports.
"The Club has had great success in football, basketball, and dance and continues to expand at a fantastic rate, with well in excess of 300 members.
"The move into gymnastics will allow the Club to continue this expansion and in conjunction with a number of partners, start to look at potential employment opportunities that a club of this size can generate.
"Wasp Community Club is very excited with the opportunity this facility will afford for the development of gymnastics in Clackmannanshire and looks forward to building on the work already taking place in schools and in the local gym clubs"