Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

The future of a trampoline club has been saved for now thanks to generous public donations.

Aeronauts Trampoline Club, based in the Headland Sports Centre, has been temporarily saved from closure after managing to raise £11,380.

More than half has come from fundraising with sports body Sport England donating £5,000 in match funding.

In May, the club, which recently moved to the Headland from Usworth Road, faced financial difficulties due to a decline in membership and rise in rent and maintenance costs.

Aeronauts' students thank the public and Sport England for supporting their club.

Linsey Ryder, head coach at the club, said: "We’re absolutely over the moon with the support we received. We genuinely cannot believe that we topped our target. People have been so generous.”

The club, which has been running for 30 years, raised the funds in a number of ways, including a fundraising party, sponsored walks, football cards, bonus ball draws and a crowd funder.

Forty-three-year-old Linsey, who has been running the club for 19 years, said: “Hopefully word is getting out there that we are a community interest company, meaning that we do rely on grants and fundraising to keep our fees low and to allow more people to be a part of the club.

"We are always restricted with numbers as we only take four people per trampoline in order to minimise waiting time between turns, as opposed to maximising our costs.”

Linsey Ryder, head coach of Aeronauts Trampoline Club.

The club managed to raise £1,380 more than their target, with the additional funding going towards offering reduced cost sessions in the near future and to arrange for the equipment to be serviced quarterly.

The money will also be used to help cover staff coaching, training courses and coach insurance, as well as a shortfall in fees due to the cost of living crisis.

Linsey, who first became a member of the club when she was 13, said: “We are very diverse and different but I love that. We all bring something different to the table. This should be encouraged and embraced."

This is not a permanent fix, however, and the club is currently looking for sponsors to provide long-term security.

For more information or to support the club, visit www.aeronautstrampolineclub.co.uk or www.facebook.com/aeronauts.trampolining/.

Hartlepool trampoline club saved after £11,000 raised by the public and Sport England