Fire-hit gym that trained Olympians seeks new home
51 minutes ago
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Splash Blinds Aylesbury
A gymnastics centre that has been used by Olympic medal-winning athletes is in urgent need of a new home after its building was destroyed in a fire nearly three months ago
Lynx Gymnastics Centre, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was devastated when the blaze took hold on 7 May, and the site on Rabans Close is due to be demolished
Trustees for the charity said it needed to find a temporary home as the rebuilding could take up to two years, but it had “exhausted” all available options
Twins Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova, who won bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, were trained at the centre
Lynx Gymnastics Centre
Jenny Hodges, chairwoman of the trustees, said: “We have some equipment that has been kindly donated from gyms up and down the country, and we’re so grateful
“The insurance will cover the building but we need somewhere so we can keep our name going and we don’t get forgotten
“We need to get the kids back into the sport they love and get an income so we can keep the staff going.”
She said the charity was trying to set up some satellite sessions in smaller venues, but it needed a space it could use for up to two years which was not too expensive and was between 6,000 and 8,000 sq feet and about 16ft (5m) high
“We also need plenty of parking as we train up to 1,000 children of all ages a week,” she said
PA Media
Hodges said a lot of the gym’s elite athletes had already moved elsewhere, including the Gadirova twins who are now training in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
“As a charity we don’t have a big pot of money to keep us going as all the money is reinvested into the charity for the good of the children,” she said
She said a fundraising campaign had raised about £45,000
Alex Pope/BBC
Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said that at the height of the blaze in May, nine crews were at the scene
The blaze started accidentally and no-one was injured
Alex Pope/BBC
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Olympians’ gym destroyed by fire asks for help
Fire breaks out at gym used by Olympic medallists
Lynx Gymnastics Centre
Aylesbury
Gyms
Abingdon
