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Exeter Gymnastics Club was formed
in 1967 by Des Mills and his young family, they were soon joined
by Frank Ley and his daughters. Initially, training took place at
the YMCA (in St David’s Hill) until facilities became available
at the University. The equipment consisted of four tatty green mats
and a lot of enthusiasm. The Club now has tens of thousands of pounds
of equipment, premises worth - well, who knows! - and, hopefully,
the same enthusiasm.
By 1973, the club had grown to 80 gymnasts and
was running sessions five nights a week but at four different venues,
Episcopal School in Dinham Road, St. Thomas’s High School
now West Exe, Friars Gate and the YMCA. I’m sure you can imagine
the problems caused by the diversity of locations - equipment was
never in the right place for the gymnasts who needed it - half the
time was spent getting kit out and putting it away again and the
club had no real identity as a whole because it was never all together
in one place. It is a credit to the voluntary coaches, Steve Marchant,
Alan Spring, Mike Euridge (to name but a few) and the committee
during those years that they not only kept the club going but managed
to raise money for equipment and to improve the standards of the
gymnasts.
Growth and Development
The years from 1973 to 1979 were a time of expansion
under the Chairmanship of Ray Albon (until1977) and then Betty Punnett.
During this period much of the equipment was purchased and the club
further expanded its numbers. It is worth mentioning at this point
that the club was always run on an entirely voluntary basis with
all of the coaches and helpers giving up their time freely to help
the gymnasts. All of the equipment was purchased from fund-raising
income and the old minute books reveal a constant succession of
sponsored walks, barbecues, discos, etc.
Exeter Gymnastics Club was using the Keyhole Centre
two evenings each week when the Whipton Club, run by Mr Graham Watson
and the May family (who now run the Hawkes club in Bristol), who
were also using the Keyhole Centre on Saturdays, approached the
committee with the proposal of combining. In 1975 the two clubs
merged and with new enthusiasm a parents committee responsible for
fundraising and social events was set up.
As the Club was still trying to operate in three
different locations, the idea of premises where it could operate
as a whole was muted. To this end a sub-committee was set up to
look for any suitable premises. It was Betty Punnet who in 1977
came up trumps. Having realised that Devon County Council had purchased
the Old St Nicholas School she approached the Council to ask if
the Club could rent part of the school.
The move from the Keyhole Centre to St Nicholas’ School was
not universally welcomed as the Club had to enter into a formal
lease and pay rent, rates and heating bills that were far in excess
of the previous levels of expenditure. However, the advantages of
a permanent base for all the gymnasts, and the opportunity to leave
equipment permanently set up outweighed the disadvantages and it
was decided to move. By September 1977 volunteers had cleaned up
the old school and the membership increased to 110. We then began
to find out how cold the school was in winter!
In 1978 Mike’s commitments to the Royal Marines
took him away from the club though he kept in close touch with us
whenever possible.
The Crisis Years
1978 saw John Balding appear on the committee and
at a meeting in November it was learned that the premises were to
be sold and the club made homeless. When the St Nicholas School
moved to new premises Devon County Council purchased the old buildings
for eventual demolition as part of the Holloway Street road-widening
plan. The Council had leased part of the building (the centre block)
to the club while their plans were being approved. But, in 1978,
they decided to abandon the road-widening scheme and sell the building.
Details took a long time to emerge but by mid 1979
it was clear that the Club could either go back to using several
different premises or attempt to raise money and buy the old school.
When it was learned that this would cost £60,000 the committee
was understandably daunted.
Gloom and Despondency
During 1979, the club went through a crisis. With
the coaches and committee gradually drifting away until there was
a real danger of the club folding. By the beginning of 1980, it
was clear that some drastic action was necessary and in March, John
Balding called an emergency meeting of parents to decide what to
do. Yvonne Budd, Diane Plumb and John explained the situation to
a well attended meeting and the result was the formation of an Action
Committee who accepted the task of securing accommodation for the
club. A new main committee under John’s Chairmanship was formed
and several parents agreed to help Yvonne and Diane (who had largely
been responsible for keeping the club together during 1979) with
the coaching.
The Action Committee started by looking for alternative
premises and over the next few months looked at disused fire stations,
half built old peoples homes, vacant plots on which to put prefabricated
buildings and a variety of equally unlikely ideas. By the summer
the Club had failed to find any alternatives and began to consider
buying the old school despite having virtually no funds with which
to do so.
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