A gymnastics club which has served the Middleton community for more than 4 decades has a new lease of life, following a Rochdale Borough council-supported move into new premises.
The Middleton Gymnastics club has supported tens of thousands of young people since it was set up in 1982 and its members regularly compete in regional competitions.
But its current site in Bowness Road is not meeting the club’s needs, so the council stepped in to offer support, using developer contributions to finance a move to a site in nearby Windermere Road.
At more than 1,000 metres squared, the new premises, in an unused gym on the Bowlee Community primary school site, is more than double the size of its existing premises. And now, the young gymnasts are ready to move in.
Coach and founder of the Middleton gymnastics club, Glenn Prendergast, said:
“I’m absolutely delighted with this move. It means so much to the club and the wider community. I’ve coached people who have grown up and sent their children here and I’m still friends with my old coach, who is nearly 80-years-old. It’s great to see young people developing their talents, but more than anything, we just want them to have a good time. We’ve seen lifelong friendships start in this club and that means so much.”
As part of the 900k investment into the redevelopment of the space, the club has a full set of new equipment.
Glenn added:
“The children will now be exposed to the best equipment and that will help them develop more quickly. We have a trampoline for the first time, a better vaulting station and it’s the first time we’ve had a full size floorspace, so we can do far more now.”
‘The Middleton gymnastics club has served this area for more than 40 years’
Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of the council, said:
“The Middleton Gymnastics club has served the Middleton area for more than 40 years and, as a local councillor, I’m more than aware of the positive impact it has had on the area. By helping generations of kids to get fit, learn new skills and make friends, it has made a huge contribution to the wider community and we are more than happy to support them as they embark on their next chapter. We hope this new venue will help them continue for many more decades to come.”
In addition to the redevelopment of the gym, the council is also expanding the existing parking area on site outside to create 40 new spaces. This would mean site users, including people accessing Langley Library and the Langley Family Hub, and the Bowlee Community School will have access to 136 bays once the work completes in September.
The work was carried out by local construction company, H Bells and Sons, and the project was funded by developer contributors which were generated as part of the Langley masterplan. The plan, now in its final stages, has seen the creation of new homes on brownfield sites across the area, which includes both social housing and homes for sale. Other improvements delivered under the masterplan include the creation of new parking bays across the estate, following requests from the local community.