THE YOUNG stars of Dynamite Gymnastics Club in Clydebank are looking for financial support to help them fly to Austria to represent their country at a worldwide event.

The gymnastics club is a key part of the Clydebank community, offering children from local and surrounding areas the opportunity to take part and compete across various levels of the sport.

A team of 24 girls have been entered to perform at the World Gymnaestrada in Dornbirn and will be travelling there in July next year to represent Great Britain.

Events have been held to raise funds for the trip, however, sponsorship and funding are still needed to help with the purchase of additional items of kit that will be required, and the team are appealing to businesses and individuals in the area in the hope they will come forward to help.

The girls, who are all local to the area and have attended the club for many years, are aged between eight and 16.

They have been training since last year and, in an appropriate nod to the host country for the event, will perform a routine to The Sound of Music as well as showcasing a mass gymnastics routine with the British gymnastics team.

The cost of the team’s trip to Austria will be paid for by parents, but the girls have been fundraising to try and raise enough money to provide additional kit items and to transport them across the UK to showcase their performance to British Gymnastics prior to the trip.

The girls recently attended their first British Gymnastics training session this month in Newcastle.

The World Gymnaestrada is the largest gymnastics festival in the world, and takes place every four years in a different city.

The event – which is non-competitive – attracts some 20,000 participants from more than 50 countries around the world.

Groups taking part in the event must participate in the opening ceremony and in one group performance – actually three performances for groups of at least 10 gymnasts, each of 10-15 minutes and held over a period of three days.

There are also various optional performances during the week to which participating groups can sign up, including displays on open-air stages in the centre of the host city.

If you can help by donating or arranging sponsorship, please contact dynamitedirectors@gmail.com.