History of Wantage Gymnastics

How it all began...

Margaret Clement began coaching gymnastics in Wantage back in 1975 at a nearby Primary School, dedicating her time to instructing 12 children every week.


Since then, WGC has flourished into a leading gymnastics center, nurturing talented individuals who have excelled at the national level. With a membership exceeding 700, our story unfolds in detail below.

Margaret Clements

In 1976 the Wantage Leisure Centre was opened and Margaret was asked to coach three 1 hour sessions in the Activities room and still the demand continued to grow, so it was agreed that courses would be club based and run in the main sports hall, thus Wantage Gymnasts was formed.


"I was a PE teacher and, when I first came to Wantage with my young family, was just teaching swimming. Parents of some of my swimming pupils asked about gymnastics" and the rest, as they say, is history.


Margaret who was already a PE teacher, attended courses to become a qualified gymnastics coach and judge. The other coaches were also PE teachers, and then parents came along and qualified as coaches.


The club did much fundraising and was given a number of grants enabling them initially to purchase a beam and Asymmetric Bars.

The primary school group started by Margaret was then amalgamated thus becoming part of Wantage Gymnasts. Some of the children started training in both venues. Demand continued to grow so more courses were started on Saturday mornings. The club membership grew to 120 members


By this time the club was becoming competitive and the better squad of gymnasts started training on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. A few years later a Saturday squad was started and also an elite group of 6 gymnasts started conditioning in one of the primary schools.

Caroline Hipperson

1980s

"Despite a fall during her last excercise, Caroline Hipperson outclassed her rivals in the Wantage Gymnastics annual club championships. She took the over 13s trophy and the organisers were so impressed she was asked to do a repeat performance as a finale to the competition." Wantage Herald - 1981


A group of women are standing next to each other in a black and white photo.

Oxfordshire's Amateur Gymnastics Association's championships 1982


Some 34 young girl gymnasts from seven clubs took part. Catherine Smith of Wantage came second in the county under-12 group.


More from the 80s...

During the summer months the gymnastics club was invited to do many displays in and around Oxfordshire, including in Christchurch Meadows, Betterton House and at the White Horse Show. The club ran an annual club championships and two novices competitions a year. Many gymnasts entered county competitions and successfully won and came back with medals, thus going on to represent Oxfordshire in the Southern Region competing against other counties.


1989 - Bethan Edwards competed for the Southern Region in the National Novices Championships and in 1990 and represented the region in the National Grades Championships.


A black and white photo of a gymnast on a balance beam
A group of young girls are jumping in the air in a gym.

1990s

1995 "Six girls from Wantage are to represent Oxfordshire at Southern Region Championships in July after doing well in the county championships at Windsor.
Members of the club started competing nationally 12 years ago." Wantage Herald


Around this time most years the club has one or two children chosen to compete for Oxfordshire.

2000

May 2000


"The founder of Wantage Gymnastics, Margaret Clement retires after the club's championships, after 23 years as their chief coach." Wantage Herald

A black and white photo of an elderly woman smiling in front of a row of houses.
A blue car is parked in front of a building with the number 1 on it

2015

Russell Smith appointed Head Coach Wantage Gymnastics Centre is formed and club moves from the Wantage Leisure Centre into warehouse in East Challow. 

  • A large warehouse with a lot of black boxes

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  • A large empty warehouse with a blue tarp on the floor

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  • A large gym filled with a lot of equipment and people.
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Transformation from junk filled unit to Gymnastic Centre

  • 2016 - Membership up to 250, club is able to purchase its first ever sprung floor.
  • 2017 - 9 WGC gymnasts qualify to represent Oxfordshire at the South Regional Finals in Southampton
  • 2017 - Andrew White appointed Chairperson and Jude Rowlands becomes the Welfare Officer
  • 2018 - Move into new premises in White Horse Business Park
  • 2018 - Poppy Smithson and Lorena DeSouza are selected to represent the South Region at the National Finals in Stoke on Trent
  • 2018 - Jade Sheppard appointed as Senior Coach


2019

Happy birthday Mrs C.


Mrs C founded the club in 1975 and still plays an active role today. An amazing role model for us all.


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Money raised from Club Championships goes towards building a brand new foam pit

A man and two women are posing for a picture in a gym.
  • 2021 - Megan Rolls enrols on the British Gymnastics Apprenticeship Scheme which she completes in 2022


group of young gymnasts

2022

Amazing Results at Oxfordshire Individual Apparatus


We had 20 gymnasts competing and won 11 gold medals, 11 Silver medals and 7 bronze medals. 

Special mention to Esme who was crowned Level 3 champion  and Ava for a very special floor routine.


Also this year...


Due to how popular the club had become we had to re structure the coaches.  Russell Smith became the High Performance Director and Jade Sheppard was appointed Head of Squad and Megan Rolls was given the Senior Recreational Coach roll (Later changing it to the Head of Recreational and Pre School Gymnastics) 

2022 - Emma Marzcylo becomes Chairperson

  • 2023 - Rachel Hayden is appointed Welfare Officer
  • 2023 - WGC awarded £30,000 to purchase trampoline, 2 new beams, 2 new bars, a new vault and increase the size of the podium to allow a 20 meter run up for vault.


A young girl is sitting on a balance beam with a medal around her neck

2024

Esme Boulton qualifies for the English Championship


Esme Boulton is the very first gymnast to compete at the English Championships at FIG level (the highest level possible). Esme joined the club 8 years ago at only 5 years old and has shown an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to reach this level.


"Well done to Esme at her first English Championship.  Great experience and lots learnt.  Highlight of her competition was a huge 12.10 on vault.  Thank you to all who came and supported."

A group of young girls are posing for a picture in a gym.

It's not been possible to tell you about everything that Wantage Gymnastics Centre have achieved since 1975 but we've tried to give you a bit of our story.


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