MEMBERS of a gymnastics team are celebrating after an inspiring win at the TeamGym British Championships, while club officials are fundraising for bespoke facilities to help them progress even further.

The team of four, known as Richmondshire Orbit, travelled to Fentor Manor, in Stoke on Trent after qualifying for the British finals when they impressed the judges back in the summer.

They competed in the integrated level one event, where half of the gymnasts in the team must have a disability or impairment. In TeamGym, gymnasts compete in micro teams of between three and five to perform "runs" of skills on the tumble track and trampette.

The talented team of four includes Henry Chapman, 12, from Ingleby Barwick, siblings Isaac and India Clay, from Thirsk, aged 12 and 11 respectively, and Hollie Bowers, 11, from Hunton. They have been training and competing together regionally for the last few years and know and understand each other well, which is key to success in TeamGym.

Rebecca Clay, head coach of Richmondshire Gymnastics Club and mum of team members, Isaac and India, said: “Isaac was born with a genetic condition called Williams Syndrome. This limits the range of movement in many of his joints and the time it takes him to process his movements.

"He has a heart condition and hearing loss, visual and spatial issues as well as learning difficulties. Isaac loves all aspects of gymnastics but in particular TeamGym. Doing this sport has given him a sense of belonging and friendship but most importantly it is great for his health; his strength, flexibility and range of movement.

"As a parent, I want to keep him involved and active as long as possible whilst inspiring and showing others that disability shouldn’t be seen as a barrier to achieving your goals. When Isaac was born, I could never have dreamed that one day he would be competing in a British Championship, and then the team go and take the title. It was an emotional but incredible day for us, not only as a family but as a club as it was our first ever British title.”

Sara Bowers, mum to Hollie, said: “Hollie was born with a duplex kidney on her right side which lead to them operating on her when she was just 18 months old and she regularly needed antibiotics in her early years. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of seven and ASD aged ten. Being on the spectrum brings many challenges for Hollie and affects how she sees life and deals with certain situations. She struggles to deal with crowds so being able to get up and compete in front of people actually takes a lot of energy and can often lead to her having sensory shutdowns. However, when she sets foot in the gym she feels at home. It’s her happy place and she feels like she fits in and belongs to something so she can just be herself – the remarkable person she is.”

Richmondshire Gymnastics Club is looking to further develop its opportunities in TeamGym after all four of the micro teams they put forward achieved the qualifying standard back in July. It would love to have its own dedicated tumble track, as members often have to use the facilities of other clubs, such as Durham and Newcastle, as big competitions like this approach. The club is appealing to local businesses and the wider community to help them offer more opportunities to children in the area.

Ms Clay added: “We are still a fairly new club to TeamGym and were the only club in the whole competition who don’t have their own dedicated tumbling track. Earlier this month, we also sent a team of gymnasts to try out for a TeamGym North of England squad and again they were up against children who use these tracks week-in, week-out.

"Many of our elite squad members have the talent and skills to go a long way in this sport, but it is more challenging when you aren’t getting the time practising on the actual tracks used in competitions. The track costs almost £20,000 so we have a long way to go in our fundraising efforts but this British title has just inspired us as coaches, parents and gymnasts more than ever.”

A crowdfunding page has been set up to raise funds for a dedicated track for its facility at Colburn Leisure Centre. See www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/richmondshire-inclusion-project