The Tower Hamlets Schools’ Sports Association was formed in 1888 due to a boating accident on the River Thames in which many children died because they could not swim. The aim of the Association has always been to provide as many sporting activities for young children in a safe environment. Many teams have represented the Association and youngsters in cricket, football, swimming, chess and gymnastics have also represented their country.

The Gymnastics and Dance Display Team were formed in 1991 to give as many children as possible the opportunity to take part in general gymnastics, dance, small apparatus work and all forms of movement. As well as the gymnastics and dance the opportunity to improve the children’s education and understanding is always in the teachers and coaches’ minds. All the teachers undertake their coaching voluntarily and are very grateful for all the sponsorship that we have received in the past, especially Canary Wharf Group who have sponsored us for twelve years, and support given by Tower Hamlets Council.

The Display Team have represented Great Britain at the World Gymnaestradas in Amsterdam (1991), Berlin (1995), Goteborg (1999) and Lisbon (2003). They have also represented their country at all the Eurogym Cultural Festivals in Portugal (1993), Germany (1997), Austria (2001), Finland (2004) and Belgium (2006). As well as these major festivals the group have participated in events in Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Sweden. The team have also been privileged to perform in the Millennium Dome on Remembrance Day 2000, the Royal Albert Hall, two Lord Mayor’s Shows and Trafalgar Square for the Queen’s Commonwealth Relay Baton before it left on its journey to Melbourne (2006).

The children have been fortunate to benefit from some world class coaching and choreography. We have been able to pass on this knowledge to others in person and in the form of the F.I.G. Display Work Manual. Their hip-hop / street dance routine was identified as one of the highlights of the 12th World Gymnaestrada in Lisbon by experts in dance and festival work.

The Team through their chief coach, Bob Bellew, have set up schemes in London that allow young adults from the Club to qualify as coaches and coach in local schools. The Club has also arranged three Eurathlon (European Union) events in London, which have featured local schools and groups from Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Poland. This community work was recognised by the Club winning a national award from Sportsmatch for their ethnic minority programme in Tower Hamlets in 2002.

Development work has also occurred in South Africa with two 21-day tours in which workshops for teachers, displays in schools and performances were undertaken in the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town. We have also regularly undertaken work in Krakow, Poland where 10 young coaches have produced shows for 500 children, from six schools, in just three days, as well as coaching in a variety of schools.

For the past three years the display team organised a Community Show for 400 Tower Hamlets children, performed twice in China at the Macau International Dance Festival (2004 and 2006) and participated in displays and events to promote London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics including the Presentation of the 2012 Bid at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. At the end of 2004 our chief coach, Bob Bellew, was named as Sport England’s UK Male Community Coach of the Year.

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

In 2005 four more young coaches qualified as coaches and three more took their Club Coach Course. Two young Belgian coaches organised a successful ribbons workshop in Tower Hamlets and we travelled to Belgium to perform the new routine and a dance performance in early May.

2006 has seen members of the display team perform and coach in Poland, Macau and represent Great Britain in Belgium as well as train and coach gym and dance in local schools in breakfast clubs, curriculum time and extra curricular clubs. The highlight of 2007 so far has been performing before the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh and producing a gala show in Krakow for 500 children.

News http://www.british-gymnastics.org/cms/publish/article_1697.shtml