Olympic hero Kristian Thomas' club struggling to survive

The gymnastics club in the Black Country where Olympic medallist Kristian Thomas began his road to glory faces an uncertain future as it struggles to find funding, it has emerged today.

Five coaches have already been laid off this year at Earls Gymnastics Club in Halesowen. The club, which costs £100,000 a year to run, receives no grants from Dudley Council or sports bodies.

It is funded solely from membership fees.

Kristian, who lives in Wolverhampton, and his team-mates won Great Britain's first medal in the team event for a century when they scooped bronze at London 2012 on Monday.

Kristian, 23, who trains at the club every week, also gained a top-10 placing in the Men's All-Round event, finishing seventh last night.

But chairman John Caulwell says the club is "stumbling from one year to the next".

He said today: "We are a conveyor belt for talent here and it is ridiculous that we have someone like Kristian winning a bronze medal at the Olympics and we are struggling to pay for new equipment."

The club, which has about 400 members, pays £28,500 a year in rent to Earls High School. Dudley Council used to pay to run the club but withdrew funding in 2000, Mr Caulwell said, and parachute payments to help it keep going stopped in 2007.

There are currently five international competitors training at the club along with Kristian, including Mr Caulwell's 13-year-old son, Harry, who is a member of the Great Britain squad.

Mr Caulwell said: "I'm hoping with all my heart that Kristian's success highlights the way we are producing elite performers from very humble beginnings and inspires someone to give us a break and help us out."