After a very turbulent seven months and a lot of hard work, Swallows Trampoline Club are back at The Edge – their home for 20 years.
Swallows was one of the clubs worst hit by The Edge’s closure in June. It lost more than 100 members, four senior coaches and three junior coaches, and had to cut back training from four to five sessions a week to just one session a week.
The club was the first of many to get back into The Edge, and a spokesperson for the Swallows said: “It’s great to be back home, and to once again be able to offer children from five to 17 years old a safe, friendly and fun environment for them to participate in trampoline gymnastics. We can’t thank those who have made this happen enough – particularly Cllr Zoe Barker-Lomax, Neill McWilliams of WHSA and Chris Grime of Sport Haslemere.”
As part of the move to make The Edge a centre for disabled excellence the sessions, which started on January 15, now include a regular special needs session.
Chris Grimes, chairman of Sport Haslemere, said: “All of the clubs are so pleased to be returning this week to The Edge and want to thank Woolmer Hill Sports Association, and especially Neill McWilliams, who have agreed to manage the building for the next 12 months.
“It is regrettable that the fight to keep The Edge open failed back in the summer, causing trauma to all of those clubs who lost their home. However I am delighted that common sense has prevailed, with both the county and borough councils providing some short-term funding so that our clubs once again have a home from which to provide sporting access to the local population.”
Chris added: “The challenge for us now is to find a sustainable long-term solution to avoid The Edge closing again in 12 months’ time.”
Waverley has agreed to take on the running of the site, paying £100,000 of the yearly running costs with Surrey paying the other £150,000.