Gymnasts launch fitness fundraiser for new equipment
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A north-east gymnastics group is calling on its members and the wider community as it launches an appeal to fund new equipment.
A spokeswoman for Garioch Gymnastics explained: "2020 has been a very challenging year so far and although it started off with the excitement of us moving into our new full time facility it was quickly marred by the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected us all in so many ways.
"As a charity whose services have stopped it is a difficult time.
"We have made some progress through government support but in order to develop our facility in the way we had hoped, we need your help.
"From today we are launching our Garioch Gymnastics 2020 Challenge Fundraiser.
"Everyone can help contribute in some way by completing the challenge.
"Everyday for 20 consecutive days in July we would like you to participate in 20 minutes of activity to aid your own health and wellbeing as well as completing a 20 minute task that will benefit someone else.
"This could be a 20 minute walk, run, scooter, playing football in the garden, cycle, High Intensity session at home, Tabata sets, homework through our club or even a Joe Wicks workout, anything at all that helps to keep you active. 20 minutes of benefiting someone could be helping with the dishes, doing some gardening, facetiming grandparents, tidying your room, taking the dog a walk, hoovering or dusting, as long as it helps someone else.
"All you need to do is post this link on your social media or send it via email to all your contacts asking to be sponsored to do the Garioch Gymnastics 2020 Challenge.
"We will send challenge sheets out via email and post them on our social media."
Coach Marshia Peel explained: "The second phase of our facility development was to have foam pits for added fun for our younger gymnasts and for safety whilst training for our more able gymnasts.
"These will cost around £60,000 to build, pad and fill with foam and we would love to have these built by the end of 2020.
"Having friends and family fund you to carry out your 2020 challenges will gain you credits that will help the club and give you a chance to earn a star to go on our "Glitter wall".
"By the end of the challenge if you have contributed £50 you would get a small star with your name, £200 the next star size up, £500 the even bigger star and the largest star for those who have helped raise £1000 or more.
"What is the benefit to my child of a foam pit?
"There are many benefits to having a foam pit in the gym.
"We currently have a trampoline in the gym which our pre-school and recreational children are not able to use due to safety, however with the foam pit, the trampoline will be available for all to use.
"Foam pits themselves provide a challenging surface to walk through and are a great way for pre-school children and older children to build muscle tone in a very safe space just using their own body weight.
"The foam pits can also help build confidence for beginner gymnasts in getting onto a bar and hanging without fear of falling, encourage the motion of jumping from our trampoline and fast tracks as well as building fitness levels by training in the foam pit itself.
"Finally our competitive gymnasts will at last be able to train at a national level and attempt bigger skills than ever before."
The club are now raising money via https://www.gofundme.com/f/Garioch-Gymnastics-2020-Challenge-Fundraiser in aid of Garioch Gymnastics Club SCIO and every donation will help.
