TALENTED young gymnasts claim their chances of reaching world competition standard are being blighted by the lack of a training centre in Swindon.

They are urging the council to allow owners of empty industrial buildings to make them available for use as a gym.

St Joseph's School pupil Joanna Toomey claims ambitious members of Swindon School of Gymnastics are having to train in Melksham, where there is a specialist centre built with the aid of more than £1m from the National Lottery.

"If Melksham can have one, why not Swindon, which is much bigger?" said 12-year-old Joanna, who attends at least three sessions a week with SSG. She lives with her parents and two brothers, Sean and Nicholas, in Boundary Close, Upper Stratton.

"At the least we need a gym with pits and proper sprung floors."

At present SSG, which has charitable status, uses the gyms at Dorcan and Greendown schools. A lottery bid for a dedicated club gym has failed.

Joanna's mum Rita said: "All the equipment they use has to be lugged out, put away at the end of the session and then lugged out again for the next one because the gyms are in use during the week by the school pupils."

The lifting work is done by the young gymnasts and their parents, including Joanna's dad John, and takes at least half an hour before and after each session.

Joanna is one of nearly 300 youngsters who belong to SSG. They range in age from five to 18 and are trained by 30 volunteer coaches.

Many of the older members have been selected for county, regional and national gym squads.

Club secretary and senior coach Wendy Payne, who lives at Sedgebrook, Liden, said the council had supported SSG's lottery bid.

But she added: "We have been told it cannot give planning permission for change of use of buildings we hoped we might be able to use because they are intended for industrial purposes, not leisure.

"We have been turned down for several and this doesn't really make sense. Why leave them empty?"

The club needs accommodation for parallel bars, vaults and tumble tracks heavy wooden blocks linked by metal. It also needs protective foam filled pits over which the more advanced gymnasts train.

"We have written to just about every major firm in Swindon asking for help," said Wendy. "Nationwide were kind enough to give us £1,000 and Anchor gave us 20lb of butter.

"But what we need is a building. The parents will do a lot of the work which is needed to fit it out."

Wendy, who can be reached on Swindon 520164, would love to hear from anybody who can help.