QUAYSIDE Trampoline and Gymnastics Club has gone from strength to strength since its arrival in Bridgwater four years ago, and the future looks very bright too, writes Richard Browne.

The club had five gymnasts at the British Championships last month, and two of those – Laura Gallagher and Corey Walkes – will represent Britain at the World Championships in November.

It’s not all about elite gymnastics, though, with the club keen to emphasise that everyone in the community is welcome.

In 2014, the High Flyers club – which has been running in Cheddar for 18 years – moved across Somerset to a new, purpose-built facility overseen by directors Diane Allen, Sue Bramble and Helen Moore.

Now sited at the Luxon Centre, in East Quay, the British Gymnastics-accredited club has eight Olympic-sized trampolines, and classes and coaching for all ages and abilities.

Allen said: “The club is really busy at the moment, as we take a maximum of eight per coach, so usually 24-34 children per hour.

“In terms of numbers, between gymnastics and trampoline, it must have at least tripled since [setting up in Bridgwater].

“We started with just a few classes per age group, and now we have four classes going every hour, and we have waiting lists for a lot of our classes.”

Those classes range from pre-school groups to after-school sessions for children and young people aged four and upwards.

There are also adults who come in, for fun and fitness; Allen personally works with a 59-year-old woman with MS, who loves her time spent on a trampoline.

People come from all around, not only from Bridgwater and Taunton, but also Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding areas.

Nurseries and schools have got involved, too, and children who have been excluded or are outside mainstream education have also been able to gain a positive experience there.

Bridgwater resident Gallagher is Quayside’s jewel in the crown, as a local girl who has gone on to win medals at national, European and World level.

She said: “I think Quayside is amazing; there’s just nothing like it in the surrounding area... if only I’d had something like this when I was growing up!

“We’re very lucky, as are Bridgwater and Somerset, to have something like this here.

“We were looking for years, for the right building, and they’re a great team who offer access to everyone – adults, disabilities, pre-school... and it can only grow.

“I’d recommend it to anyone. We’ve got pre-school groups in, and it helps with the basic skills and coordination that form the basis for any sport or anything in life really.”

Bridgwater Mercury:

MEDAL SUCCESS: Bridgwater's Laura Gallagher in action.

The international success of Gallagher and Walkes, who hails from Bath, has had a big effect back at home, in terms of raising the club’s profile and inspiring the next generation.

Allen’s fellow director, Bramble, coaches them both, and said: “When young children see someone perform at such a high standard, day in and day out, they think that’s normal and they emulate that.

“And they also see the challenges, the good days and the tough days, so they know that if they work through it they can get through the other side.”

The club’s third director, Moore, estimates that they have coached around 25 age group champions and British champions in total.

She added: “[International success] motivates all the gymnasts in the club, as they all look up to Corey and Laura, who both take a real interest in all the members that we have here.

“Their results bring recognition for the club and highlights its profile in this area, that we have such outstanding gymnasts in Bridgwater.

“The children who come in are coached to the same standard as Laura and Corey, so if they want to be pushed, the coaches have the knowledge to push them further.”

Everyone there has been excited by the CBBC TV series ‘Gym Stars’, which has been following five of their gymnasts, including Walkes.

Allen said: “It gives a buzz to the whole club and the parents to see the TV cameras here, and a lot of the children know the show anyway.

“It’s had a really positive effect on our numbers, as people want to be part of a club as progressive as we try to be.”

All in all, the future looks bright for Quayside. But where would its directors like it to be in 10 years from now?

“I would say that we would hope to be at capacity, which we’re not far off now to be fair,” said Bramble.

“And that our team would be one of the top teams in the country; that would mean having 20-25 people qualify for the British Championships, and that’s what we’re working towards all the time.”

Moore added: “I would like to be able to say that we offered a lot of children in Bridgwater the chance to try trampoline and gymnastics.

“Obviously it’s nice to have Laura and Corey achieving the results they have, but personally if we were to be known for something I’d like it to be including everyone in our programme.”

Allen said: “It’s a very busy, crazy, mad club, but a lot of fun and the whole ethos of the club is that everybody is welcome, no matter what age you are or if you have a disability.

“Personally I’d like to fill the gym with more people with disabilities, and for them to have more opportunity to access this kind of thing.

“The whole gym has a buzz of people being happy, children being involved, young coaches coming in and learning a skill, and we want as many people as possible to experience that.”

Pick up a copy of next Tuesday's Bridgwater Mercury for a preview of Laura Gallagher and Corey Walkes' World Championship hopes; and for more information on Quayside, visit their website here.