His Excellency, Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer, and Lady Lorimer attended Manx Gymnastics Centre of Excellence on Monday.

Having recently accepted the post of patron, His Excellency had expressed a wish to see the gymnasts in action.

Both he and Lady Lorimer were met by club president Ian Bradshaw and directors of the club Erica Bellhouse, Angela Roberts and Margaret Burns.

After being given a brief history of the club, they were shown round the gym and introduced to senior coaches Gennady Tsyganov, Amanda Keating, Jiong (Jon) Qi and Nick Workman.

During this time the gymnasts were continuing with a normal training session.

Sir John and Lady Lorimer were extremely interested in how the gymnasts were progressing, especially after the disruption to their training caused by the Covid pandemic.

Having spoken to a number of gymnasts regarding their training, His Excellency was impressed with their enthusiasm and dedication for the sport of gymnastics.

At the conclusion of the visit, Lady Lorimer was presented with a small gift as an appreciation of their interest in the club.