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A female coach helps a young girl tumble in a gymnastics and trampolining hall.

Sometimes the pressure of running a club or group can fall on a few individuals who work tirelessly to deliver their activities and offer a safe, welcoming environment for their members and communities.

Without these volunteers, lots of sport and physical activity opportunities wouldn’t exist. Attracting and supporting more volunteers can help to create sustainable offers and remove some of the added pressure faced by those running sessions.

Tumble Twist and Turn (TTT) are a gymnastics club based in St Helens, set up in 2020. Originally TTT operated from a school hall with just six members; they now have their own facility and a growing membership of children and young people, with just under 150 members.

With an increasing member base came a strain on TTT’s coaches, which presented challenges when looking to recruit, due to the high demand for coaches and fitness instructors in their local area.

TTT started developing volunteers internally to overcome this and ensure their offer could continue.

The Buddle team caught up with Stacey Cook, founder of TTT, to find out how they created a supportive development pathway to upskill volunteers to take on coaching roles.

TTT now have four coaches and 10 young helpers and volunteers, who support the organisation.

Developing volunteers

One of TTT’s core values is the holistic culture they’ve built around their coaching. Coaches look to support people to the fullest, rather than be solely gymnastics-focussed.

This was a main focus for TTT when finding solutions to their recruitment challenges:

  • Developing their community

    Many of their gymnasts expressed an interest in supporting the club. With this in mind, TTT created a pathway that supports the progression and development of their members.

    Younger participants can volunteer as helpers at beginner or pay and play sessions.

    As they get older, volunteers can also assist with the structured sessions, expanding on the skills they learnt as helpers.

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  • Inducting new volunteers

    To ensure their students and volunteers provide a safe environment and are able to support delivery effectively, TTT provide an induction process. 

    This includes training on the TTT policies and procedures, as well as information on safeguarding and British Gymnastics policies.

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  • Providing training

    TTT have provided in-house training opportunities for their volunteers on a variety of topics, including safeguarding and policies and procedures. 

    Delivered by the senior coaches, this informal training shares what would be covered in a level one course.

    By offering these sessions, volunteers are equipped with knowledge and skills they can use to support TTT or take on an accredited coaching course.

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  • Running dedicated volunteer exercises

    These exercises help to support volunteers and helpers to build their confidence in supporting sessions. 

    New coaching volunteers oversee the young helpers and work as a team to set up appropriate gymnastic stations.

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  • Providing work placements

    TTT have created links with a local college to provide placements for students studying relevant courses, such as sports science or childcare.

    These students help to take pressure off the staff while achieving their required volunteering hours to complete their courses.

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  • Supporting further progression

    After completing their voluntary placements, TTT provide opportunities for the students to remain at the club in paid roles.

    TTT also support the development of dedicated volunteers by enrolling them on courses to become qualified coaches. These courses are part-funded by TTT.

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  • Supporting members

    TTT are very flexible, with an open-door policy if parents and carers need support meeting the financial requirements of club membership. 

    TTT have provided payment plans, confidential fee adjustments and given discounts for multiple siblings.

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Benefits

Taking the time to develop volunteers using the existing connections and skills in TTT’s community has paid off. Positive impacts have been felt across the organisation:

  • Several volunteers have been supported to achieve coaching qualifications and have been able to assist the running of sessions as a result.
  • A more sustainable coaching model has been developed, allowing Stacey and others to step back or take time off when needed.
  • Greater opportunities have been provided for people to learn new skills, gain experiences and channel their time into positive outlets, reducing anti-social behaviour.

TTT plan to continue supporting their participants to learn and enhance skills and progress into supporting roles at the club.

They’re also keen to develop more partnerships, with organisations and universities, to keep identifying new opportunities.

An instructor helps a young girl in a gymnastics class

Top tips

TTT encourage other organisations to create environments for people to develop and grow. Their top tips for those wanting to build a successful coaching pathway are:

Don’t rush the process – trust that people will progress at a speed they’re comfortable with. Have further development opportunities ready for when they are.
Provide inspiration – showcase relatable role models. TTT have organised sessions with national coaches and other successful athletes.
Build self-motivation and drive – but recognise that it’s up to the individual to want to be involved further.

Find out more

Visit the Tumble Twist and Turn website to learn more. For more information on volunteer development, check out our ‘developing people’ resources.