THE head of a gymnastics club threatened with closure has described being allowed to return to its original home as 'a dream come true.'
Brian Duley is chairman of Judge Heath Gymnastics Club and has a proud history in the sport going back more than 30 years.
However, that all seemed about to come to a crashing end when the school he had been using as a base for the last nine years suddenly put the hall rental up 300 per cent, from £25 to £55 an hour.
Faced with closure, Mr Duley appealed for help - and his prayers have been answered as Hillingdon Council stepped in with the offer he thought he would never get.
The council is prepared to allow the club to return to the sports hall in Judge Heath Lane, Hayes, where it formed many years ago before rising costs led to it being forced to move to Swakeleys School, Hillingdon, in 1999.
Council Leader Ray Puddifoot says he wants to ensure the club's survival so it can be the first to use a brand new facility currently under construction in Botwell Lane, Hayes, due for completion in 18 months' time.
Councillor Puddifoot said: "When Botwell is complete we will have a top-class facility with the ideal partner to ensure it gets the full use it deserves."
Mr Duley, 63, of New Denham, has been running his club as a girls-only group, but said: "With this news I will be able to start bringing boys on board and also add pre-school facilities, and basically get even more young people involved in sport.
"Just the idea of what we stand to achieve has me tingling with excitement, and this really is a dream come true."
