A TEN-year-old from Harperley Hall has been chosen to represent her country in an international gymnastics showcase.
Imogen Atkinson, a pupil at Witton-le-Wear Primary School, is a member of Astrid Academy of Movement, based in Kirk Merrington. She currently attends four sessions a week, practising relentlessly at home on the equipment she has there. She took up gymnastics four years ago and has progressed through the stages.
Imogen will be a member of the squad who will travel to Lisbon, Portugal, next July to take part in the World Gymnaestrada international gymnastics event that takes place every four years, bringing together gymnasts from around the globe.
Established in 1953 by the World Gymnastics, this unique event promotes gymnastics as a means of physical fitness, artistic expression, friendship and social interaction. The event is characterised by its non-competitive nature, allowing participants to showcase their skills in performances that emphasize creativity, teamwork, and the joy of movement. The event typically features a wide range of gymnastic disciplines, including all gymnastics disciplines, along with various dance performances, with and without apparatus.
Imogen has previously won awards in several, local competitions as a member of the Astrid team and is looking forward to going to Lisbon with the event’s mot-to, Connecting the World, encapsulating the deep, enduring relationships fostered through gymnastics – a global language that transcends borders, cultures, and differences. The 2027 event is the 18th edition, being a four-yearly event.
She will have to travel around the country to learn the Team GB choreography and as part of the 2026/27 Astrid performance team, the routines that will be performed in Lisbon will be performed at home too – at a variety national gymnastics showcase events and competitions. The Astrid club has previously won awards, being named Acrobatic Club of the Year at the North East Gymnastics awards in the past.
Head coach is Hannah Reader and she is delighted that some of her members, along with their coaches, will be attending the Lisbon event. The team members are encouraged to raise funds towards the trip and in Imogen’s case, a Go Fund Me page set up to raise £500 far exceeded that amount within 24 hours! She will also be raising money in other ways too with more events planned for this year and next, including a Royal Tea event, hosted by her grandmother, Anita Atkinson.
Parents, Emma and Jimmy Atkinson, both primary school teachers, are fully supportive of Imogen’s fundraising events and will be accompanying her to Lisbon – as will many more members of the family.
Mother, Emma, said, “We want to thank everyone who contributed to the fundraiser, it is incredible how much was raised in such a short time. It is very nice to know that friends, family and many people we don’t even know are sharing in Imogen’s exciting opportunity to not only represent her country but the place where she lives. “She works very hard and is constantly rehearsing her moves – she loves gymnastics and is always striving for improvement.”
Not one to have her head turned by an international performance, Imogen continues her daily life as usual – which mainly includes living it upside down in one way or another! Congratulations, Imogen!
For more information about Astrid, go to Home / www.iamastrid.co.uk / Dance & Gymnastics
