Member Article

All roads point to Rio thanks to Hendy Honda

Hampshire gymnast Kelly Simm is getting a helping hand on the road to Rio thanks to Hendy Honda.

The local car dealership has thrown its support behind the Olympic hopeful and has even kitted Kelly out with a brand new car to make getting to training sessions easier.

Kelly, 21, is currently aiming for a place in the GB team for the Rio 2016 Olympics. With 15 women competing for just five places in the team, it means Kelly’s weeks are filled with countless training sessions across the country and she says the Honda HRV from Hendy Honda has already made her journeys a pleasure rather than a chore.

“The car definitely makes life a lot easier,” she said. “Our national training camps are held at Lilleshall National Sports Centre which is a three-hour drive. It’s a long journey and with all the training it is a lot of time on the road! The Honda makes the travelling a lot more comfortable and me and my coach can take turns to drive which allows me to switch off and focus before training starts.”

Kelly, from Whiteley, is a member of the Dynamo School of Gymnastics and has secured a haul of medals throughout her career, including at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

Ian Bennett from Hendy Honda, part of the Hendy Group, said staff across the whole company are rooting for Kelly in her mission to secure a place in the Olympic team. “We would love to see a Hampshire sportsperson represent the country at the Olympics and we believe Kelly has just what it takes. Having been a part of the community here in Hampshire for more than 150 years we’re immensely proud of our local sporting heroes and happy to do all we can to support them.”

Kelly’s family have been customers of Hendy Group for years and the gymnast is following in her father’s footsteps with her new car.

“The last few cars my dad has owned have been Hondas so I knew they were great. I genuinely get up and look forward to driving it!”

Hendy Group has a long history of supporting local sportspeople and events. It is the headline sponsor of the popular Hendy Ford Eastleigh 10k and a key sponsor of the ABP Southampton Half Marathon, providing the vital time car for the event. On top of this it supports countless local sports teams.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hendy Group .