Permanent Bank International has donated ?2,000 to help Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club which lost thousands of pounds worth of equipment in flooding last month [December]. Some of the club’s coaches, and the children they were instructing, had to be rescued by fire crews using inflatable boats to get them out of the gymnasium near the NSC as flood water rose to several feet on the night of December 3. Repair work – including replacing competition flooring and major equipment in the main hall – is under way but the club needs to raise funds to replace some additional damaged equipment before classes can start again.

The PBI donation will go towards buying new equipment used by six children’s groups – three for children with disabilities, and three groups for pre-school. In total there are around 70 children who attend these groups aged from two to 13 years old. The PBI donation will go towards buying a range of special gym equipment including small gymnastic springboards specifically designed for children.

A representative from the club commented: “The equipment ruined in the flood cost around ?5,000, so we’re very pleased to receive such a generous donation from PBI – I nearly cried when I heard the news that they were going to give the club ?2,000. It will go to the disability and pre-school section of the club and towards the cost of buying new equipment to create a sensory corner for children with additional needs. For the pre-school group we want to buy craft items, and some costumes to tie-in with themed sessions. For example, we will have some classes with a space theme, so we will get some astronaut costumes which will be a lot of fun for the children.”

Mark Kennett, Manager of Banking at Permanent Bank International, said: “The club does excellent work providing classes for children and we were very concerned to hear news about the impact of the recent floods. So we decided to make a donation to support the club’s efforts to repair the damage and allow them to resume the classes as soon as possible.”

The club has launched a disaster recovery plan and fundraising campaign to get the club up and running again – for more details find the ‘Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club Recovery Plan’ page on Facebook.

PBI has been established in the Isle of Man since 1994, and provides a range of international deposits accounts in Sterling and Euro for UK and Isle of Man clients and ex-pats. For more information go to www.permanent-bank.com

Photo - Mark Kennett (centre), Manager - Banking at Permanent Bank International, presents a cheque for ?2,000 to Ellan Vannin Gymnastics Club represented by Emma Jane Mingins (left), Disability, Pre-School and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach, and (right) the Club’s Head Coach, Helen Duggan.