GYMNASTS from Milford Haven’s Special Needs Gymnastics Club are jumping for joy after winning 47 medals at a national championship, thanks to the support of a £4,000 donation from Tesco.
As the only volunteer-run gymnastics club of its kind in Wales, Pembrokeshire Special Needs Gymnastics Club, which meets every week at the Meads Leisure Centre, caters for people with special needs and disabilities across the area.
The donation, from Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative, funded a trip for more than two-dozen gymnasts to compete in the annual Disability Gymnastics Competition in Poole.
The club’s secretary, Rachel Mathias, is hoping that young gymnasts could be asked to compete at international level after impressing at the competition.
“I’m extremely grateful to Tesco for the donation and to locals for choosing our charity to receive the support,” she said. “It allowed us to pay for travel and accommodation for our 28 gymnasts, their families and coaches to attend the national Disability Championships in Poole.
“Scooping a grand total of 47 medals wasn’t only a huge confidence boost for all of our gymnasts, but for the club and our volunteers too. With scouts in attendance at Poole, we’re hopeful some of our gymnasts will be picked to represent Wales at the Special Olympics GB Summer Games Liverpool in 2021, which would be incredible!”
Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme has been running for the last four years in collaboration with the charity Groundwork. The initiative, which sees funding awarded to thousands of local community projects every year, has donated more than £5m to groups across Wales since it launched in 2016.
David Page, Tesco’s Head of Community, said: “We’re really proud of the impact our Bags of Help scheme has had on communities, groups and charities across Wales. The funding for Pembrokeshire’s Special Needs Gymnastics Club was chosen by customers in our Pembrokeshire stores, so it’s great to see the charity recognised for its hard work in the area.”
Customers cast their Bags of Help votes for local good causes by using blue tokens handed out at checkout points in their local store.
Further details of the Tesco Bags of Help scheme can be found at: www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here