AN elite coaching team has assembled at Warrington Gymnastics Club to hone the skills of the next generation of Olympic athletes.

World champions, a national gymnastics coach and a double Olympian are part of the team who have united to help aspiring gymnasts turn their talents into titles.

With 17 qualified coaches on hand and more than 600 members eager to learn, the club continues to go from strength to strength.

Offering classes for boys and girls from the age of three, the team prides itself on knowing what it takes to compete with the best of the best.

Head coach Gemma Burrows, who has worked as the national Scottish gymnastics coach, said: "We have a vision and we now have the team in place to turn that vision into a reality.

"The club has had both regional and national success but we now hope to break into the international league."

Double Olympian Hannah Whelan, who announced her retirement from elite gymnastics bringing to an end an illustrious career that made her one of Britain’s greatest women’s artistic gymnasts in February, is part of the coaching team who will be mentoring the youngsters.

Hannah knows only too well the challenges of competing after fighting it out in the Beijing and London Olympic Games.

She said: "Everyone here has something different to give and share. We have all had different experiences.

"I have been doing bits of coaching for around seven months and I have been really enjoying it so when I was asked to join Warrington Gymnastics Club, I knew it would be a fantastic opportunity."

The club, which was previously based at Evans House in the town centre, is now open for business on Wharf Street in a centre.

The new facilities allow the club to cater for bigger classes.

Plans are already starting to take shape to build a raised gymnastics pit at the site but more funding is needed.

The club has already been running fundraisers to collect the £60,000 to build the state-of-the-art equipment.