A POPULAR gymnastics club in Caldicot has successfully raised more than £10,000 to create a new community café.

With more than 900 members visiting Wye Gymnastics & Galaxy Cheerleading centre every week, the proposed cafe – The Coffee Beam – will enable parents and guardians to view gym sessions comfortably, while also acting as a focal point for the local community.

As part of their redevelopment, Wye Gymnastics hopes to provide workplace opportunities for people with autism and other additional needs, ‘Fit and Fed’ sessions for children eligible for free school meals during the school holidays and are planning to host a regular Dementia Café for people to socialise in a safe and accessible environment.

Across two months, the club raised £6,577 through crowdfunding, with Sport Wales providing a £4,000 donation through match-funding.

This year, in partnership with Crowdfunder UK, Sport Wales is offering up to £15,000 of match-funding for sports clubs or community organisations in Wales that are looking to create or enhance ‘off-field’ facilities to help improve the overall experience of grassroots sport.

Carly Hawke, CEO of Wye Gymnastics and Galaxy Cheerleading, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have reached our target, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. We can’t wait to see this project come to life. While improving the experience of parents and supporters of the club, the café will also act as a hub for our local community which is important to us.

“The donation from Sport Wales boosted our fundraising activity, added immense value and increased public confidence in the project, encouraging them to contribute, too. We’re grateful for their support – and would urge any local clubs in need of fundraising help to get in touch.”

Owen Hathway, Sport Wales’ assistant director for insight, policy and public affairs, said: “The pandemic has really highlighted the importance that a place for sport can have in our local communities to bring people together and improve their lives.

“By teaming up with Crowdfunder, we’re not only helping clubs to upgrade their off-field facilities but we are also improving community links and their fundraising skills as well.

“This helps clubs become sustainable for the long-term and set themselves up in a way that creates a cycle of success, not simply a positive one-off application for funding.

“Since we launched this pilot scheme in the autumn, we’ve seen some incredible campaigns that have drawn support from hundreds of individuals. Community engagement has been fantastic. We’ve seen clubs embrace the approach, develop new skills and take public funding from Sport Wales and amplify it several times over.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to support the Wye Gymnastics & Galaxy Cheerleading centre with their project which will benefit not only their members, but the wider community, too.”

Match funding for facility improvements through Sport Wales’ collaboration with Crowdfunder is available until March 31, 2022.

Clubs who are considering a crowdfunding project are encouraged to think about what rewards could be offered in return for donations and to make sure that they sell their idea to potential donors.

To learn more about Sport Wales’ funding opportunities, please visit www.sport.wales