News

“Balwearie Gymnastics Club have become the first Scottish Club to gain the prestigious GymMark Accreditation. The club, based in Balwearie High School Community Use, Kirkcaldy, in Fife are congratulated by British Gymnastics for creating a "safe, effective and child-friendly” environment for all of their gymnasts”.
British Gymnastics

GymMark is an excellent resource for clubs to ensure that best practice and progressive development is ongoing, resulting in a safe effective forum for children to realise their own potential.

Clubs participating in GymMark will benefit from the following:

  • By working through GymMark clubs will naturally adopt better, more organised systems and structures which will help them to run more effectively and efficiently

  • GymMark will encourage the progressive development of clubs under the clear direction of 4 modules; Development, Training & Events, Ethics & Welfare and administration.

  • Scottish Gymnastics will list those clubs that pass GymMark on their website as being safe, effective and child friendly gymnastics clubs, which will increase the clubs profile and therefore promote increased membership.

  • Coaches and volunteers will be working to the necessary standards therefore in an invironment that assures best practice.

Statements and Quotes:

Statement from Balwearie Gymnastics Club

"Balwearie gymnastics club was established in 1976 with about 20 gymnasts training in the gym hall at Balwearie High School Community Use. Over the years the club has flourished and we now have 304 gymnasts training in the gymnasium and the assembly hall 5 days a week. We offer women’s artistic, pre-school, display, schools and recreational gymnastics classes for both girls and boys.

As a club, achieving GymMark status gives us the confidence to promote our club as a safe, effective and child friendly club which in turn should give parents the peace of mind that their child will be taught in an environment where the gymnast is put first. This not only takes into consideration the operational policies and procedures the club has set up but the way in which all coaches and committee members promote the sport of gymnastics."

Further details on the club can be found at: www.balweariegymnastics.co.uk

Head of Education and Development at Scottish Gymnastics, Jackie Archibald said;

“Scottish Gymnastics would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Balwearie Gymnastics Club on becoming the first club in Scotland to achieve GymMark accreditation. GymMark is a UK wide club accreditation scheme which has been endorsed by all the main sports agencies within the UK as the minimum club operating standards. Balwearie Gymnastics club have fulfilled all relevant criteria to ensure best practice and progressive development is ongoing, resulting in a safe effective forum for children to realise their own potential”.  

British Gymnastics Commented

 “Balwearie Gymnastics Club have become the first Scottish Club to gain the prestigious GymMark Accreditation. The club, based in Balwearie High School Community Use, Kirkcaldy, in Fife are congratulated by British Gymnastics for creating a "safe, effective and child-friendly” environment for all of their gymnasts”.

SportTayside & Fife Gymnastics Development Manager – Steven Maloney comments

“In sport we recognise that the development of the club infrastructure in Scotland is crucial to the overall development of the sport from grass roots through to the performance arena. Strong clubs improve the quality of our sport and as a result provide positive experiences for all who engage in the sport.

The club have been very efficient and helpful throughout the process of GymMark and I would like congratulate and thank them for all their efforts to achieve this award. Balwearie have set the bench mark for clubs throughout Scotland and will continue to develop further”.