These Fylde Coast rhythmic gymnasts want to represent GB but need a little help

The gymnasts from Fylde Coast Rhythmic Junior group, including 14-year-old Evie Bayes, Tallulah Crabtree,13, Lucy Taylor, 13, Chloe Magee, 13, Alex Marshall, 13 and Lottie Cahill, 13, are hoping to compete internationally but need financial support as the sport is unfunded. Four of the gymnasts – Evie, Lucy, Chloe & Tallulah - earned English and British championship titles last year. And in November, the team will be trailing for the GB squad, and already have a number of competitions planned in Europe. But first they need to raise the funds to chase their dream and have launched a fund-raiser via GoFundMe.

Speaking on behalf of the girls, Katy Crabtree and Sarah-Jane Latham said: “The girls train together five times a week for up to 20 hours across two locations getting trains straight from school – they never moan about it either! What is nice, is that they are friends first and foremost, supporting and encouraging each other all the time. The dedication they all share for rhythmic gymnastics is astounding especially when you consider how young they still are. It would be a dream come true for them to perform their routines outside the UK.”

“Rhythmic gymnastics is a self-funded sport, it doesn’t get any grants. Sadly, that means that in order for them to take on international groups they have to raise the money to get themselves there. Of course, this comes at a price. These girls are without a doubt a lovely bunch of girls who deserve a chance. They are a credit to the club (Fylde Coast Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy) and to their coach Ana Blackburn who recently won the Coach of the Year Award at the Fylde Council Sports Awards.”

Fylde Coast RGA is a small but very successful gymnastics club with around 50 gymnasts aged four to 18. Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon or rope. Coach Ana is originally from Romania and is herself a former rhythmic gymnast, who in 1993, won a bronze medal at the European Championship in Bucharest. You can donate to the girls’ GoFundMe online (search Fylde Coast Junior Group)