The Club

Sandbach Gymnastics History

Sandbach Gymnastics started in the mid-80s at Sandbach Leisure Centre. We were predominately a Saturday club providing recreational gymnastics. Like most leisure centre clubs, it was kit in, kit out every session. Charlotte Holdcroft was our first International gymnast, competing for the Junior National Team in Belgium. May 1991 saw the club move to its first fulltime facility. It was only 3,000sq.ft., but it was ours and as a club we developed to a high level of performance. From this venue Rebecca Mason was our most significant gymnast. Rebecca joined the national team at the age of 8 and was a prolific competitor for the club and GB. Rebecca won numerous national titles as well as competing at Commonwealth, European and World Events. May 2006 was the year when we moved to a 9,000 sq.ft. facility. From here the club increased to a 600 strong membership. We competed hundreds of gymnasts, boys and girls in club, county, regional, national and international events. Charlie Fellows represented the club as well as the GB Junior Team at the Junior European Championships in Brussells (2014). Additionally, Pagan Brown and Charlotte Draycott competed for England. December 2016 was when we were kindly and most generously supported by the Denise Coates Foundation. When a 20,000sq.ft. building became available, just 100 meters from the current gym, our dreams and ambitions started to come true. The building eventually became available in May of 2019. Sandycroft Construction were the company that won the re-fit contract. We also added pressure to the pot as we had to leave our current location on the 28th February 2020. I was pleased with this deadline in some ways as we now had a definite date for the new gym. However, i was also concerned as problems ahead may have set the deadline back. The construction started in September 2019 and with an average of 20 workers on- site daily from various trades work commenced at speed. Sandycroft delivered on time and official handover took place on the 28th February 2020. Our doors opened on the 1st of March 2020 and are members poured in. WOW!! many times is all they could say and i had to agree. This facility is now one of the best in the UK. We are so grateful to the Denise Coates Foundation for the most generous support that has been afforded to us. Gymnastics in Sandbach, Cheshire East and neighbouring regions has a fabulous legacy for decades to come.