More than 240 competitors from across the South West, alongside university teams from the University of the West of England and the University of Birmingham, took part in the two-day event at Swindon School of Gymnastics. Athletes competed across floor, vault and trampette disciplines, representing clubs including Swindon School of Gymnastics, West Wilts, Cotswold Gymnastics Club and Writhlington Gymnastics.
But beyond the numbers, the competition underlined a clear message, this is a grassroots club aiming high, with success this year already emerging across multiple levels.
Among those leading the way for the host club, standout performances included Isobel Knight, who recorded a top vault score of 11.6, Lillia Ackrill, who achieved 12.85 on floor, and a trio of strong displays on trampette from Erin Giles, Zara Goff and Shannon White, all scoring 11.1.
That success at club level is mirrored by growing ambition among its athletes. One of those is Adelyn Mills, who has already qualified for national competitions in both artistic and tumbling disciplines, and is aiming even higher.
“I would really like to take this to the Olympics,” she said, following a year of significant personal progress.
That sense of ambition sits alongside the more immediate reasons many young people are drawn to the sport. For Tamzin Fairlie, who has been training in Swindon for less than a year, the appeal is as much about confidence and connection as competition.
“My favourite part is making friends and having fun,” she said.
That balance between enjoyment and progression is a defining feature of the club. Teenager Millicent Barlow Hall, who trains five days a week, described the event as an important moment not just for competitors, but for the club itself, with funds raised helping to support a planned move to a new, larger facility.
The competition also highlighted a wider pathway within the club, where many participants remain involved for years, progressing from young gymnasts into coaching and mentoring roles.
Jessie Stewart is one example, having started at the club as a child before moving through competition and into coaching and judging. Now back in Swindon after university, she is helping to develop the next generation of athletes.
“It’s been brilliant through my whole life,” she said.
That long-term involvement is echoed by volunteers like Dave Sanders, who first became involved through his child and has remained part of the club for over a decade.
“It gets children off their screens, socialising, exercising and gaining life experience,” he said.
The event was attended by the Mayor of Swindon, Councillor Fay Howard, who presented medals and spoke about the importance of clubs like this in giving young people opportunities to stay active and build confidence. Her own daughter is now a coach at the club, underlining the strong community ties behind its continued growth.
Organisers say the competition, which brings together athletes of all ages and abilities, is designed to give recreational gymnasts a chance to perform, while strengthening links between clubs across the region.
With plans for a new facility progressing, strong performances across multiple disciplines, and athletes already reaching national level, the message from this weekend’s competition was clear, Swindon’s gymnastics community is not just growing, it is pushing towards something much bigger.
