Trevor Ward Foundation backing Willow-Mae

Talented Torbay youngster Willow-Mae Calland has received a major boost in her journey up the gymnastics ladder after a donation from the Trevor Ward Foundation to help with the cost of travelling and competing in the future.

Willow-Mae, who attends Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School in Chelston, trains at the Paignton-based South Devon School of Gymnastics and provided a glimpse of her amazing potential in the British Gymnastics voluntary finals at Surrey University in December.

Competing against older gymnasts from across the country, Willow-Mae was crowned British champion for both beam and vault, second on the floor and was in the top 18 for bars.

At the time, Coach Rachel Wignall said: “Willow is a pleasure to coach and always works her hardest at every session, and it has been lovely to see all that hard work pay off on the national stage.

“Few people will know the commitment, hard work and challenges it takes to achieve something like this but Willow takes everything in her stride and is an excellent role model within our club.”

However, the journey to the top for any young sports star comes with a great deal of cost and commitment from family members. Now, Willow-Mae has some extra support from the Trevor Ward Foundation, which was set up to be a financial aid to help children fulfil their sporting potential. 

Tim Ward is Trevor’s son, and he said: “There would be nothing worse than a child with huge talent and sporting potential to not be able to fulfil their dream due to lack of financial support. 

“It was set up in Dad's name and initially built around supporting Paignton Rugby and Cricket Clubs due to Dad's lifetime commitment, drive and involvement in setting up youth sections and coaching.

“The support pool widened as all sports are expensive and we have supported a variety of individuals, including locally talented skiers, rowers and pole vaulters, to name just a few. Each are awarded on their merit.  

“Willow is well deserving of this award. She clearly is an exceptionally talented gymnast who has huge amount of potential in her field. As you know, the more successful you are, the more expensive it becomes, travelling further afield. We are delighted to support Willow with this award to fulfil her dream and look forward to following and hearing of her progress.”

In a presentation on the Foundation from 2019, Tim explained the background to the Foundation: “Dad was born in North Devon and went to Shebbear College, where he was introduced to cricket and rugby. He found he had a lot of talent and also trained up to become a teacher in Exeter.

“He felt there were a lot of children missing out on rugby because of a lack of junior sides, giving them access to the sport. That was the beginning of the youth system at Paignton Rugby Club. “The purpose of the Foundation was to form a bridge of talented children. All the money we raise is designed to encourage those talented youngsters to have a go.”

Elsewhere at the South Devon School of Gymnastics, the club is enjoying success at all age groups, as demonstrated by Abi Martin, who performed brilliantly in her first senior English Championships, finishing first in the vault, second with her floor routine and fifth in the all-around competition.

The South Devon school of Gymnasts has been in operation for over 30 years. During that time, they have had many county, regional and national champions. The club caters for gymnasts of all ages and abilities, operating in a full-time facility that is a British Gymnastics designated performance centre. The club offers gymnasts training in a variety of sessions, from pre-school through recreational to competitive groups.

The success of Willow-Mae, Abi and all the gymnasts is testament to the hard work and commitment of all involved.