A record entry of 152 club gymnasts entered the Forest of Dean Gymnastics Club Annual Championships. This was the 40th Club Championships, the only year one wasn’t held was the year the Club moved into their new Gymnastics Centre in 1995.

Gymnasts, both boys and girls aged six - 15 years, ranging from Novice to Elite were from classes across the club with many competing in their first competition. Most competed on floor and vault at various levels while the more experienced competed on all Olympic apparatus.

Six-year-old Tippi Dinsdale set the ball rolling by winning the under 6 Novice 1 closely followed by Matilda Byron-Daniel. Eden Rawling and Mya Clarke tied for the bronze medal.

In the age 7 boys Novice 1 Ethan Duberley took gold with Zachary Pegler and Archie Weyman in second and third places.

Top scoring Novice 1 gymnast was 9-year-old May Woodward, who is one of the newest members of the Club. Mya scored 20.1 narrowly beating Emily Stoddard & Olive Dunton. In the under 7 girls Isla Collins & Blake - Lea Brace took 1st & 2nd with Hattie Morris in 3rd.

There was a joint gold for Xanthe Davidson & Poppy Pobert, who each scored 19.8 in the Novice 2 aged 7 & 8. Evie Marshall came 3rd. There were Novice 2 gold medals also for Cerys Price, Martha Day, Paige Kenworthy, Leilah Morgan and Simon Kather.

At Novice 3 Amelia Powell won gold in the aged 10 & under, Ebony Baldwin at age 11 and Amelia Seal in the Intermediate section.

In the Novice 2, 4 piece apparatus competition the top places were spread around. Anastasia Shaporto won bars and vault which helped her to overall gold. Molly Hughes won the floor jointly with Ellie Mae Blewitt and silver overall, while Ella Robinson won bars and beam. Lily Bridges won the overall bronze.

The Novice 3, four-piece was just as keenly fought, with wins on vault and beam and overall gold for Florence Eaton. Isobel Thornton won floor andvault and silver overall. Bronze medallist, Tilly Davies-Lewis won vault jointly with Florence and Isobel and Eloise Smith while Eden Addis won the asymmetric bars.

It was good to see the older, intermediate girls competing on floor, vault and beam. Freya Phelps took gold, Millie Eaton silver and Isobelle Moger the bronze. Charlie Storr won the beam.

The more experienced club gymnasts competed in the Level 5 & 4. Amelia Seal resoundingly won Level 5 with wins on floor, vault and bars. Anastasia Hughes came second and Lily Goodway who also won beam came third. Charlotte Cottrell & Violet Williams won two apparatus each with Charlotte just edging ahead to win gold. Emily Holmes came third.

It is good to see the next generation of talented boys coming through. Competing on floor, vault, parallel bars and rings, Alex Cook took gold overall with 43.4 just 0.1 ahead of Henry Lafford, who won the vault & parallel bars. Alex Cook won the floor but had to settle for a bronze medal.

Final group of the day, the senior boys’ six-piece saw Finley Smith take the gold on all apparatus, just ahead of Sam Perkins who, unfortunately, couldn’t compete on floor due to an ankle injury.

The Annual Junior Progress Awards were presented to Alex Whittington and Lily Bridges with the senior trophies going to Ellka Newland and William Bees.

A special award of ‘Gymnast of the Year’ was presented to nine-year-old Isobel Thornton.