Alness gymnastics coaches reveal what Fyrish club means to them amidst fears for future
COACHES at the heart of an Easter Ross gymnastics club fighting to protect its long-term future have spoken of the life-changing impact it makes in the wider community.
As previously reported, Fyrish Gymnastics Club in Alness is facing an uncertain future after the premises in which it has established a purpose-built set-up were put on the open market by landlord BT.
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Coach Hannah Emerson said: “It means a lot to me because I was a gymnast here. I never actually envisioned myself as a coach. I got injured as a gymnast and I started volunteering because our former head coach Sonny Rhind asked if I would come in and help out.
“That’s literally how I started and I ended up really enjoying it. For the gymnasts, it’s a big part of their lives and they can be in here five times a week.”
She joked: “I think sometimes we see them more than their parents.
“It’s also that you get to know the kids - sometimes I feel as if they are literally our own kids - we see them after school, we see them on the weekends and when we’re going to competitions and we are in the hotel and have dinner together and we do things outside of the gym. They mean a lot to us.
“They say the same - gymnastics is literally their lives.”
They admit the threat of having the premises sold from under them at a price twice what they had expected, was “a big shock”.
Coach Darcie Houston said: “We are disappointed that this came about.
“I was also a gymnast - I started when I was in kindergym which is pre-school.”
She then got involved in the squad, which she is now coaching.
She continued until the age of around 14, wasn’t sure what she wanted to do after school “and thought ‘well, I like gymnastics, let’s give it a go coaching’ and that’s it - I can’t get enough.”
Both coach six days a week.
Hannah added: “We are actually open seven days a week. We also host birthday parties and we get hored out for private events.
Asked about their message to the general public as they fundraise for a deposit while researching potential funding avenues, Hannah said: “I think this is a good thing to have in the community.
“There isn’t a place like us. Other gymnastics clubs come here because obviously we have the full size floor - in the Highlands we are the only dedicated facility for gymnastics.
“The other clubs have to hire out halls - like what we did previously in the Averon before we were lucky enough to get this building.
“It’s used for everything - it’s not just used for gymnastics it’s used for birthday parties, it’s used for the youth club up in Alness so the kids come down here to have a safe place after school and at night time so we can try and keep them off the streets.”
A BT Group spokesperson previously stated: “The gymnastics club adjacent to the former BT office in Alness is on a long-term lease, from BT to the club, until 2028.
“We have been providing the property at significantly reduced rent for several years to the current tenant.
“While we have advertised the building for sale at the current market value as we no longer need it, we are open to any offer, especially from the current tenant, to purchase it.”
A GoFundMe Fyrish Gymnastics Club campaign link can be found here.
