THE government is working to find activities for young Islanders with disabilities that are “on par” with the Jersey Special Gymnastics Club after the organisation closed this year amid concerns over shared facilities planned at the new Oakfield Sports Centre.
Assistant Children’s Minister Malcolm Ferey said that his department was working to find inclusive sporting activities, “particularly for people with specific needs”.
He told the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel: “It is creating a little bit of a challenge, to say the least, but we are still determined to find something that is suitable for people who want to do that sort of activity.”
Deputy Ferey also confirmed that the government has been in discussions with the Jersey Special Gymnastics Club, which closed in June after 34 years.
The decision to close came despite what club leaders describe as years of hard work to keep the organisation going in the face of limited support.
At the time, chair Jeannine Carey described the decision as “the loss of not just a gym club but a community” and thanked parents, gymnasts, coaches, committee members and supporters for their support over the past 34 years.
She said: “It is hoped that at some point there will be a fresh new club, where the gymnasts feel safe, happy and free to develop their gymnastic and, more importantly, social skills at their own pace.”
The club’s committee felt the shared facilities at the soon-to-close Fort Regent were failing to provide the space, privacy and consistency needed to safeguard the wellbeing and confidence of their 20 students.
The loss of volunteer coaches also led to the decision not to move into the government’s new facility at Oakfield, which is due to take in sports clubs forced to leave the Fort due to its upcoming redevelopment.
Ms Carey explained: “The committee decided that it was best for the safety of the gymnasts not to continue rather than do a term in the new facility where we potentially wouldn’t be safe.”
Last month, she told Express that the club would continue to look for opportunities to reunite members, but that there was no guarantee of a permanent replacement.
