Avalon Leisure is supporting four cyclists from Street who are aiming to ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End for charity.

Adam Brown, Nick Curtis, Jeremy Linter and Lee Molland, who all train at Strode Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre, will be setting off next month in the hope of raising thousands of pounds for the British Heart Foundation and BIBIC.

"I had just left college with a good set of A Level results and decided to take a year out of education to concentrate on training. A few months later the hard work paid off and I won the Under 19 World Championships.

It was a great feeling at the time, but just weeks later I suffered a huge loss in confidence. I would travel the hour and a half round trip to training six times a week but sometimes be too scared to get on the trampoline and soon after winning I found myself off the National Squad too. 

I tried lots of different things to try and help, but nothing worked and 10 months later I hit rock bottom. I took a week off and came up with a new plan. I emailed my coach and came in the following week and, looking back, neither I nor my coach actually believed that we would ever achieve that plan; to get back into competing!

Wells Leisure Centre, managed by Avalon Leisure, has introduced a brand new parkour class aimed at young people aged 13 years and older.

Avalon Leisure recently received funding through the Somerset Youth Opportunity Fund to purchase equipment for this activity.

Great British biathlete John Sutton, who trains regularly at Strode Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre, is awaiting confirmation of a gold medal in the 2009 World Grand Prix Series.

It would complete a successful season for John, who competes in the 50+ Masters age group.