Gymnastics club win national community award

Woking Gymnastics Club has won a national prize at the British Gymnastics Awards.

The 2026 Community Club of the Year award recognises not only gymnastics but the way the club uses sport to create a long-term impact for the wider community.

Chief executive Andrew Challis said most of the club's more than 1,000 members were in its recreational programme.

Challis told BBC Radio Surrey young members want to come along, have some fun and see if they like gymnastics probably making the club "the largest youth organisation in the Woking area".

Challis said the award was open to every club in the UK, describing Woking's win as a "huge testament to the work and everything we try to do at the club".

Many children join from preschool age and remain for years. He said the club's leading gymnast, Jamie Lewis, "joined us at four" and is now the senior British men's champion.

The award also highlights the club's growth, rising from 482 members in 2021 to 840 in 2025.

Challis said inclusivity was central to the club, noting one coach won the National Inclusion Award for working with children with special educational needs last year.

The club said its additional needs classes were not a bolt-on programme but were central to who they are.

Challis said Woking Gymnastic is "a fairly large local employer...we have about 50 55 staff. A lot of them are young people" providing a first introduction to the workplace."

With demand continuing to rise and a waiting list of more than 100 gymnasts, the club is considering expanding its facilities.

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