A menu of Inclusive Programmes: Delyn Recreational Gymnastic Club (DRGC)

Delyn Recreational Gymnastics Club is based near Holywell in Flintshire and has developed a vast and varied range of innovative programmes. As an example of good practice locally, regionally, and nationally this case study is provided to highlight the impact of this remarkable club.

Written by Marcus Politis and Beth Daly  •  May 2026

Summary of DRGC’s Innovative Programmes:

• Recreational Gymnastics: The club provides fun, inclusive sessions for all, focusing on fitness, confidence, and skill development. Structured classes preparing members for local competitions. (Women’s and Men’s Artistic, Freestyle Gymnastics, Trampolining, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Parent and Toddler Open Play Sessions.
• Youth Leadership Pathway: This provides opportunities for young members to gain volunteer experience, coaching qualifications and leadership skills and later in this case study will focus on Luke’s story and how DSW and DRGC will develop inclusive leadership further.
• Community Wellbeing Activities: Programmes that integrate physical activity with mental wellbeing, fostering resilience and social connection.
• Family & Adult Classes: Sessions designed for parents, guardians, and adults who want to stay active and engaged in gymnastics and other fitness and wellbeing activities.
• Building Partnerships with Local and National Organisations: Gwella (Flintshire County) Sport Development Team, Flintshire County Disability Learning Nursing Team, Flintshire County Inclusion Team, local schools and colleges, Disability Sport Wales, Rebound Therapy Org.

DRGC’s Vision:

We aim to sustain and expand inclusive programming, maintain affordability, and nurture future generations of coaches and volunteers. Every achievement is rooted in our values: accessibility, equity, and community impact.

Beyond Gymnastics: Rebound Therapy

Rebound Therapy uses trampolines to provide therapeutic exercise, movement, and relaxation. It offers a safe, supportive environment to improve physical health, coordination, and confidence while also promoting social connection and wellbeing.

Delyn offers sessions during weekdays for people with all types of disabilities and any age. They are a training centre for Rebound Therapists where they had guidance and support from DSW’s Regional Partnership Senior Officer, Rebound Therapy and Welsh Gymnastics to become the only centre of it’s kind in Wales. The plan is now to develop Rebound Therapy opportunities in the region by training coaches from other Welsh Gymnastics member clubs and with TTT (train the trainer) status this can be done with little or no cost and providing a hugely scalable sustainable model in the North.

Impact on Participants

• Physical Benefits: Enhances balance, posture, mobility, and muscle tone through controlled, low-impact movement.
• Mental Wellbeing: Reduces stress and anxiety, fosters relaxation, and builds self-esteem by achieving personal milestones.
• Accessibility: Sessions are tailored to individual needs, making them inclusive for the most profound and severe impairments including people with no muscle posture at all.
• Social Connection: Provides a welcoming community space where adults can share experiences, build friendships, and feel valued.
• Empowerment: Participants gain confidence in their abilities, often translating into greater independence in daily life.

Development Opportunities for the Coaching Team

• Specialist Skills: Coaches gain expertise in therapeutic movement, adapting exercises for diverse physical and emotional needs.
• Inclusive Practice: Strengthens coaches’ ability to deliver accessible programmes, reinforcing the club’s ethos of equity and inclusion.
• Professional Growth: Offers pathways to further qualifications in Rebound Therapy and disability sport coaching.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Coaches develop confidence in leading sessions that balance safety, progression, and participant autonomy.
• Impact Measurement: Staff learn to track participant progress and wellbeing outcomes, enhancing the club’s ability to evidence impact for funders and partners.
• The club is an example of national good practice.

LC's Story: A Journey From Disability Participant to Young Leader

by Bethan Daly Coach/Club Secretary
Delyn Recreational Gymnastics Club

Medical Conditions: Global Intellectual Impairment

How the story began: 
LC first became involved with Delyn Gymnastics at age 13. Our team met him while delivering gymnastics sessions at his school, Ysgol Maes Hyfryd, a Special Needs High School in Flint. It was during these sessions that Bethan, Delyn Coach, got to know LC, his family, and his two sisters (one of which also has a disability). Recognising their enthusiasm, she invited them to join Delyn’s Satellite Gymnastics sessions at Flint High School — the school attended by his sisters. All three began taking part and quickly became regular, engaged participants.

As time went on, their younger sister transitioned to high school and continued attending independently, while both Luke and his older sister stepped naturally into volunteering roles. They joined the Flint Satellite Delyn Gymnastics team as Young Leaders, supporting coaches and helping younger gymnasts develop their skills.

Observations:
At first, LC worked alongside his sister to build confidence in leading activities. With gentle support and encouragement, he began to find his own style. Before long, he was confidently leading warm-up games and
supporting a small group of gymnasts alongside Fleur Lewis (Delyn Level 1 Gymnastics Coach) and Bethan.

Communication and confidence were LC’s biggest challenges — particularly giving instructions and offering feedback to gymnasts. Through patient guidance from Bethan and Fleur, and with the gymnasts responding positively to him, LC made remarkable progress. The gymnasts even supported his own skill development, proudly helping him master a handstand.

LC’s contribution soon extended beyond weekly sessions. He now helps run Delyn Gymnastics parties and supports the delivery of Disability Family Open Sessions. His commitment to volunteering has been exceptional, and he has become a valued and much-loved member of our team. We are incredibly proud to share his journey.

The Impact:
The confidence and communication skills LC developed through Delyn have transferred directly into his wider community involvement. His growth has enabled him to take on additional voluntary roles within Gwella — supporting cleaning, the library and the community hub — where he has demonstrated the same reliability and positive attitude. His progress has been so strong that he is now moving into paid employment with Gwella as a casual member of staff.

LC’s story is a powerful example of what inclusive, supportive environments can achieve. With the right  opportunities, encouragement and belief, young people can flourish — and LC continues to do exactly that

Disability Family Open Sessions

A Safe and Supportive Space

• The Disability Family Open sessions are designed to give disabled children and their families a welcoming environment where they can feel at ease. The sessions provide:
• Freedom to Play and Explore: Children can enjoy gymnastics equipment and activities at their own pace, with no pressure or expectations.
• A Place to Blow Off Steam: Families know their children can move, laugh, and release energy in a safe, supervised setting.
• Community Connection: Parents and carers meet other families facing similar challenges, building networks of support and understanding.

Impact on Families

• Confidence building: Children gain confidence through play, discovering new abilities and celebrating small achievements.
• Reduced Isolation: Families connect with others who share lived experiences, reducing feelings of being alone.
• Shared Understanding: Parents exchange advice, encouragement, and resources, strengthening resilience and community ties.
• Inclusive Culture: The sessions reinforce the club’s ethos of equity and accessibility, ensuring every family feels valued.

Development for the Club and Coaches

• Inclusive Practice: Coaches refine their skills in adapting activities to diverse needs, strengthening their expertise in disability sport.
• Family Engagement: Staff learn to support not only participants but also parents and carers, broadening their impact.
• Programme Innovation: Insights from families help shape future inclusive initiatives, ensuring the club evolves with community needs.
• Leadership Growth: Coaches gain confidence in facilitating open, flexible sessions that balance safety with freedom of expression.

‘Clwb Cwtch’ Flintshire County Inclusion Sessions

The club is proud to host and deliver Clwb Cwtch sessions for Flintshire County Inclusion Team. These sessions are tailored for children with complex needs, offering a safe, supportive, and joyful environment where every child can thrive.

What the Sessions Offer

• Exploration & Play: Children are encouraged to explore gymnastics equipment freely, discovering new ways to move and interact.
• Challenge & Growth: Activities are designed to gently challenge participants, helping them build confidence and resilience.
• Safety & Support: Coaches create a nurturing atmosphere where children feel secure, valued, and empowered.
• Beyond Gymnastics Skills: The sessions focus on physical literacy—developing balance, coordination, hand-eye skills, and spatial awareness, all of which are vital for everyday life.

Sensory Room Innovation

• In a new studio space, the club has established a vital and dedicated sensory room which provides:
• A calming environment for children who need time away from main activities.
• Multi-sensory experiences to reduce anxiety whilst support regulation, relaxation, and engagement.
• An additional layer of inclusivity, ensuring every child’s needs are met holistically.

Impact on Children and Families

• Confidence: Children leave sessions feeling proud of their achievements, however small.
• Physical Development: Improved coordination, balance, and motor skills through playful, unstructured activity.
• Social Connection: Families benefit from shared experiences, meeting others navigating similar challenges.
• Community Inclusion: The sessions reinforce that every child deserves access to safe, supportive, and fun physical activity.

Accessible places to support children to participate in mainstream sessions

Everyone should have the opportunity to join in our sessions. For some children the opportunity to join our mainstream sessions and benefit from working as part of a group, sharing experiences and social development is incredibly beneficial.

We look for volunteers training in areas related to health, social care and childhood development to act as 1:1 support to allow participants to join in the mainstream sessions. Our volunteers help keep them safe and help them engage with the session activities.

By liaising with schools and colleges we find keen volunteers, strengthen our team and enrich the opportunities of our members

- Jen Waite, Manager and Director of DRGC.

Summary

The club has recently had a Sport Wales BAWF grant of £36k and raised further funds to ensure they can cater for all abilities, with the following facilities and programmes in place:

• Inclusive Mainstream sessions
• The club has disability specific sessions
• ‘Clwb Cwtch’
• Sensory Room
• Dedicated daytime space for additional disability sessions
• Rebound therapy sessions
• Rebound Therapy TTT programme to expand and grow the North Wales Workforce
• Changing Places provision with Tracking Hoist for trampoline bed, toilets and changing room with adjustable height plinth and mobile hoist
• School holiday Fun & Food programme (formerly SHEP)
• DRGC attain insport club (DSW’s inclusive club programme)
• Inclusive Leadership Programmes (in 2025 the club had 21 young people on their Leadership Programme…

DRGC’s Sports Leaders programme is an opportunity for young people, age 11 yrs and upwards, to engage or remain engaged with the sport. This as a great way to give opportunities for personal development providing:

• leadership skills, effective and appropriate communication, patience and tolerance, group management
• safeguarding, healthy lifestyles, working with children with disabilities and inclusivity, offering in-house mentoring
• workshops and funding for training and qualifications such as UKCC Sports Leadership Award
• Volunteering opportunities were offered to CYP pursing Welsh Baccalaureate and Duke of Edinburgh Awards
• The club recently qualified five 16-year-olds as Women's Artistic Level 1 coaches
• Last year (In 2025) DRGC’s volunteer workforce contributed 2,796 hours of their time to supporting clubs activities. This came from a team of 21 volunteers with around 40% of the team made up of 11-15 yr olds

Marcus Politis, DSW Regional Partnership Senior Officer, said:

“The club has demonstrated exceptional progress in inclusive development, creating a strong and varied programme of opportunities. Our partnership with the club and Welsh Gymnastics has also contributed to a pan-Wales rollout enabling established clubs (such as Delyn) to support the development of other clubs across the region which represents a sustainable and impactful model for the future.

Looking ahead we are keen to co-produce a disability forum and give young disabled people a voice in community sport provision. Clubs like DRGC need to be commended for their, application, commitment and inclusive vision as they go the extra mile to enhance the lives of disabled people."

For further information about this case study contact:

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