Member Article

Durham Coach Wins National Award from British Gymnastics

A gymnastics coach from County Durham has been named as the National Coach of the Year by British Gymnastics this week at the 6th British Gymnastics National Awards ceremony.

The award for ’Outstanding Coach of the Year“ was awarded to Stuart Thompson, of Deerness Gymnastics Academy. This award recognises an individual from the British Gymnastics High Performance programmes who has produced outstanding International results through their athletes during 2014.

The British Gymnastics National Awards celebrated the achievements of some the most inspirational people in the gymnastics community at Manchester Cathedral in a glittering award ceremony where gymnasts and coaches from across the country, from Olympic medal winners to grassroots volunteers, gathered to see who had been crowned the best in the sport this year.

Stuart Thompson, 40, from Durham is a high performance coach in acrobatic gymnastics and last year returned from the world age group championships with all of his eight gymnasts winning Gold. He has previously coached senior world champions and world games silver medallists.

“It’s a real honour to receive this award,” said Stuart Thompson. “As there are so many dedicated coaches involved in gymnastics working tirelessly to develop and mentor their gymnast’s right across the country.

“I am very fortunate to be able to have a career in a sport that I love and I also have to thank my colleagues at Deerness Gymnastics Academy, the gymnasts and their parents for all of their hard work and commitment too. Without that the club wouldn’t gain the success that it does on a national and international stage.”

Following success as a gymnast in his own right, winning a bronze medal at the World Games in a men’s four in acrobatic gymnastics he turned to coaching in 1998 at what has now become Deerness Gymnastics Academy. Over the past 17 years Stuart has coached many British, European and World Champions at the club in Ushaw Moor, County Durham. He is also the coach and choreographer for Acropolis, the entertainment group that won Lets Gets Gold on ITV1 in 2012.

From outstanding elite gymnasts proudly taking medals on the world stage to the passionate workforce and volunteers dedicated to delivering the sport, the national awards ceremony was a fantastic celebration of gymnastics.

“Stuart has been involved in acrobatic gymnastics since he was a teenager, first as a international gymnast and then dedicating himself to becoming one of the top coaches in the country,” said Karl Wharton, director of Deerness Gymnastics Academy.

“It takes a lot of time, dedication and commitment to become a high performance coach and then to go on and win multiple medals on the world stage is no mean feat. The whole club is very proud of Stuart and I hope this award will inspire many of our gymnasts and young coaches to stay in the sport and together we hope the club will go on to be even more successful in the future.”

Over the past few years Deerness Gymnastics Academy has gone from strength to strength. Attracting gymnasts from right across the region, the club located in Ushaw Moor, County Durham provides many young people throughout Durham and the north east with the opportunity to improve their health and physical development, promote social and emotional skills as well as boost their confidence.

As a volunteer-led club, it has responsibility not only for coaching, training and the development of gymnasts, but also the training facility itself, Deerness Gymnastics Academy has maintained its status as one of the most successful clubs in Great Britain and continues to be recognised on the international scene as one of the top clubs in the world, with over 100 international gymnasts with more than eighty World and European medallists, including 15 World and European Champions in its roll of honour.

Gymnastics coaching in acrobatics, tumbling and trampolining is available to all ages from novice to elite level. Recreational classes are available for children from 3 years and Baby gym sessions take place on weekdays..

To find out more call: 0191 373 9413, email: contact@deernessgymnastics.org.uk or visit www.deernessgymnastics.org.uk follow on twitter @deernessga or find on Facebook.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Deb Sharratt Communications .