Hartlepool Trampoline Club was within weeks of closing after lottery funding dried up and the number of young gymnasts started to dwindle, as reported in the Mail in January.



Seven months on and membership for the club, which is based at Brierton Community Sports Centre, in Catcote Road, has risen from just 40 members to more than 120.

Linsey Ryder, who runs the club with Lisa Kirkham, has said the support of Hartlepool Borough Council's school sport partnership development manager, Paul Jackson, played a vital part in the club's survival.

Paul helped set up trampoline classes at every secondary school in Hartlepool to give students a taste of what is on offer.

As a result of the sessions more, and more youngsters have been signing up which has enabled the club to survive.

Linsey, 29, of Wolviston Road, Hartlepool, who has helped run the club for the past four years, said the survival of the non profit-making organisation is a big boost to competitive trampolining in town.

Linsey said: "We are absolutely over the moon that we have enough members to continue because we were very close to finishing.

"There was nothing more we could have done and we even had a meeting with the children to tell them what was happening.

"It has been a massive turnaround and we are grateful for everybody's help.

"The Headland Development Trust also donated a trampoline to the club which means we now have seven trampolines in total. They cost a couple of thousand pounds each so that was brilliant.

"We have even had one girl competing in the national finals and we hope to have more in the future."

The club caters for people from four years upwards and trains on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

The one-and-a-half hour sessions cost £3.45 and they are open to everyone.

There is also a compulsory £17 annual membership fee for governing body British Gymnastics.

For more information, call the club on 07958 557502.