Somersaulting back into the old days

Most of us probably weren’t particularly talented in that aspect of sport – but this spread of archive photos shows Fylde coast youngsters who were.

Among those pictured are Michael Aspinall, Dona Hulme and Susan Aspinall, from the Fylde YMCA gymnastics team, who gained silver medals at an English Schools sports meeting, in March 1982.

Ten-year-old Adrienne Orr is shown performing a backward somersault, watched by other members of the SS Mary and Michael RC Primary School, Garstang, gymnastic team – which won through to the second round of the National Schools Junior Gymnastic Championships, in December 1975.

The Fylde YMCA gymnastic team scored high grade marks at the Lancashire Grades Championship at Burnley, in March 1990 with nine-year-old Emma Nicholson winning the grade 5 championship. She is pictured vaulting, with – from left – front: Zoe Mankowska, Angela Wade, Gemma Pretedge, Louise Garritty Back: Rachel Bennett, Stephanie Naylor, Helen Garritty, Nikki Lydon.

Mandy Gornall of Garstang (fourth left) is pictured with British gymnastics who competed in the Champions Cup, at the Royal Albert Hall, in March 1980. Mandy was a member of the Great Britain team for the gymnastic championships against the Hungarians at Wembley, in preparation for the Olympics.

And Caryle Baines and Rosemarie Willder, of Lytham St Annes High School, were North West winners of the 1982 English Schools’ Sports Acrobatics championship.