Middleton Trampolining given training boost

Karon Tensel; Keith Trinnaman, Rotary Club of Middleton Vice President & Treasurer; Lisa Lee, Head Coach; and a class from the Middleton Trampolining Club held at St Anne’s Academy

Middleton Trampolining Club has been presented with £367, as their share of the donations from the Ironman UK competition, to assist the development and training of their coaching staff.

The funds were raised as a result of voluntary work done by the Rotary Club of Middleton and Ironman UK. The volunteers helped by working at feeding stations at the Ironman UK Bolton event.

The Ironman competition is open to athletic fundraisers who compete in a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and end up on a 26.2 mile run. Some of these fundraisers dedicate their funds to Rotary and this is then shared amongst the Rotary clubs whose members have volunteered at the events.

Middleton Rotary Club nominated Middleton Trampolining Club to receive their share of the funds, due to the excellent work that the club do with young people specifically integrating disabled students alongside the able bodied students.

Middleton Trampolining Club head coach, Lisa Lee said: “I am over the moon to receive this donation. It means I can now send one of my coaches and a support worker onto the official Rebound Therapy Course.

"The course is specific to all disabilities, enabling participants to achieve moves and gain awards and certificates on the Winstrada Scheme.

"Winstrada is the UK body for recreational and therapeutic gymnastics and trampolining. Attendance on this course will make a significant difference to the quality of coaching, techniques and confidence of the coaches and support staff when delivering club sessions.

“The support we have received from the Rotary Club of Middleton is really so much appreciated, and is allowing us to change the lives of a lot of those children that we work with.”

The benefits of trampolining exercise for both physical and mental health are well documented. However, Middleton Trampolining Club is different from other clubs because they run fully inclusive classes, so the anxiety and fear surrounding interacting with all types of disabilities are addressed in each class. This provides all the children an opportunity to learn, understand and empathise with their peers. Parents and carers see improvements to their children’s physical, mental and social abilities after attending Middleton Trampolining Club.

Keith Trinnaman, Rotary Club of Middleton Vice President and Treasurer said: “We have seen what a tremendous job Lisa and her team have done with the young people of the borough, her dedication to integrating disabled children with the able bodied is very impressive.

"The care and patience given by the club is beginning to pay major dividends to the children that attend the sessions, and we are delighted that the Rotary Club of Middleton is able to help them with this donation, that will go toward training two of their coaches further”.