GYMNASTS in Oxfordshire are to benefit from £48,381 thanks to Olympic legacy funding.

Abingdon Gymnastics Club, in Berinsfield, has secured the cash from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund.

This is part of a £135m funding pool to mark the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London this year.

Abingdon Gymnastics Club was formed in 1976 and, after residencies at the Old Gaol and Radley College, is thriving at purpose-built premises in Fane Drive, Berinsfield.

The club has more than 400 participants of all ages, from pre-school children to adults, and employs three full-time coaches.

This latest cash injection will help build a foam-filled pit so gymnasts can practise moves in complete safety.

Club chairman Sue Moulster said: “The level of the club has changed, from one based in a school hall with a few county-level competitors to the point where we’ve got girls competing at a regional and national level.

“We started off, like so many sports clubs, with volunteers, but now we employ three full-time coaches and about 10 casual coaching staff.”

Reflecting on the current profile of gymnastics, she said: “I think coming up towards the Olympics everybody wants to watch it.

“It always sells out at every Olympics and this one is no exception.

“British gymnasts are achieving European and world medals and I think the whole sport is more obvious now, with gymnasts in the media and on adverts.”

Richard Lewis, chairman of Sport England, said: “This investment will create a fantastic sporting legacy for Berinsfield.

“This fund has really hit the mark with sports club in Oxfordshire. It shows we are offering the legacy that people want for their local community.

“For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their sports facilities got better.”

* For more information about the club, visit abingdongymclub.co.uk