Special Gymnastics Club Is Back In Action

Jersey Special Gymnastics Club has finally found somewhere to train after being made homeless last summer.

Fort Regent is the new - albeit temporary - home for the club until 2024.

The club originally trained at Greenfields, but after 14 years of using its sports hall it was forced to leave and move its equipment into storage.

Leaders had made repeated pleas for help to find a new home.

Head Coach Nikki Kirkland says it's great to have somewhere to train again whilst they're looking for a permanent home.

"The gymnasts were so excited to be back! They've missed it so much and just having a new home is amazing for them. They're over the moon.

The club is of a great benefit to all of our members. It's not the gymnasts, it's the parents as well."

 The club's equipment went into storage when it had to leave it Greenfields base in July 2022.

Plans to relocate all sports clubs out of Fort Regent for its redevelopment have been pushed back.

Many have already moved out of the centre, with the government previously saying they would all be relocated by September 2023 when a new £3m Oakfield Sports Centre is due to be ready.

A ten-year plan for the transformation of Fort Regent was unveiled by the previous government in June 2021.

When the island's new government took office last summer, Sports Minister Deputy Lucy Stephenson said finding a new home for the Jersey Special Gymnastics Club was 'very much on the agenda.'

Nikki says she's not sure why it's taken so long to sort out.

"We did enquire about Fort Regent when we were first moved out of Greenfields but we were originally told that wasn't an option."

One of the club's gymnasts will be attending the Special Olympics World Games this summer, but plans for other competitions are 'still in limbo' without a permanent home.

"We're not just a club, we are a community. It's somewhere the kids can come each week, they meet up with their friends, they get to train.

We're just one big family."

More from Jersey News

Just Played Songs

Weather Forecast

  • Sun

    17°C

  • Mon

    16°C

  • Tue

    16°C

  • Wed

    15°C

  • Thu

    14°C

Island FM VIP

Get more with the Island FM VIP!

93.7-104.7 FM & DAB+
islandfm.com
Island FM app
'Alexa, play Island FM'