10:50am Saturday 20th March 2010
By Tyrone Marshall
A BURNLEY gymnast has a double celebration after earning a place in the British championships and winning a new sponsorship deal.
Hayley Hodgkinson, 17, has been given almost £4,000 by Nelson telecoms provider Daisy to help her achieve her dream.
By day, Hayley is an A-level student at Thomas Whitham Sixth Form, in Burnley, where she is studying PE, psychology and sociology in the hope of becoming a PE teacher.
At night, Hayley travels to Blackpool for intense three-and-a-half-hour training sessions at the town’s gymnastics club.
At the weekend she has a seven hour training session every Saturday and usually enters competitions on a Sunday.
Hayley said: “It doesn’t give me a lot of time to spend with friends but I realised I had to make sacrifices to secure a place in the nationals.
“Until now I have been heavily reliant on my parents to pay for club and competition fees, outfits, travel costs and sometimes accommodation.
“While I do work as a welfare assistant in a local primary school every few weeks, it goes nowhere near covering the costs incurred. I am absolutely thrilled that Daisy has agreed to sponsor me as it means I can focus 100 per cent on my goal and my parents don’t have to worry about funding me this year.
“I cannot thank them enough.”
Matt Riley, Daisy CEO, said: “It is fantastic to see a 17-year-old girl with such passion for her sport and with her eye set so firmly on her goal.
“Everyone here at Daisy wishes Hayley the best of luck in the British Championships and we are confident that a person with such drive and determination will go all the way.”
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