Update from the Trustees of

South Essex Gymnastics Club

Following the departure (8th May) of Irina Cotton,  we are very pleased to tell you that Karen Grieves will commence work as a full time women's coach and Assistant to Rod Smith on Monday 21st May. Karen joined SEGC 12 years ago as a gymnast and competed successfully for the club as a member of our WA squad that won the British Team Championships (1998 & 2000). Recently Karen has graduated from Brighton University with a degree in Sports Science. During her time at University Karen kept in touch and returned regularly to coach with us during holiday periods. Since August last year Karen has been working with Caron Notton and has helped with the success of some of our best young gymnasts. We look forward, with great anticipation, to Karen joining our team of coaches.

1. Basildon Council’s plans for the Sports Village are continuing and they hope for news in the next 2/3 months from potential funding partners which will kick start the programme into action with detailed planning applications (to themselves!).  If/when this happens we will expect to discuss in more detail the scheme layout and other details. It remains an essential precondition of our involvement that we can be satisfied that all of our requirements and safeguards can be met. We may still not know this for some time after the funding decisions are made but you can be sure that we will come back to you again once we are in a position to proceed with detailed discussions.

2.  However it does look as if the Council’s original plans for the Village to open by 2010 are unlikely to be achieved – this would have allowed our section of the village to be used as a pre-Olympic training centre.  The Club received a visit in April by one of the assessors appointed by Sport England/2012 Committee to review our application to use our current building for this purpose if the Village is not ready. 

3. As you know from our published minutes – see the Notice Board - the Basildon Sports Council (BSC) decided to give up the management of the Basildon Junior Training Centre (BJTC - the other building on our site) from 31^st March 2007.

4. The Club has been negotiating an exclusive lease on that building and the hard court area (for extra parking) for several months, During this time we have been allowed to gain access to review necessary changes to bring it up to standard for use by special needs/disabled classes as well as to expand the recreation programme – for which there is still considerable demand. Disability Essex has conducted a survey and reported back on those changes needed. Since neither the Council nor the BSC had paid to bring the facilities up to the standard for use by the disabled, these costs will fall on the Club if we proceed. We currently estimate that the total costs, including equipment, will amount to some £90k. We have contacted both Planning and Building Control departments: the latter has confirmed that we will need Building Regulation approval and so we have engaged an architect to push this on for us.

5. We are also contacting grant making bodies to try and gain some funding towards the overall costs of the scheme.  If we can go ahead – and we hope to know this in the next few weeks – then within six months we shall be able to begin operating at the level of membership that we need to build up before going into the Sports Village – or if this does not go ahead, to consider the building expansion plans for our current building which we had previously agreed with the Council.

6. If you – or your company - might be interested in assisting us with the construction work e.g. donations or labour in the BJTC, please contact Dick Harper at the club.

HOMEPAGE