Students from Aycliffe School took part in the Apollo Trampolining Championships 

The competition was the first of it’s kind in the North East for children and young people of all abilities. The event was organised by the Apollo Trampoline Club and held at Lambton Street Youth Centre, Sunderland.

Andy Leach, Senior Trampoline Coach at the club said; “We had over a hundred young people take part in the competition at the weekend. Students from NEAS have seen the competition as a challenge to set their own personal goals, which gives them a sense of purpose and achievement. As a coach it gives me a great sense of achievement when the students get so much reward and happiness out of the sport and especially for fitness, self esteem, sensory and a feeling free aspect like flying.

The purpose of the competition was to assess whether the young people could cope with a competition environment and they did very well. This allows me to feel comfortable to enter them in to regional and potentially national competitions.”

Apollo Trampoline Club organise sessions for NEAS and trampolining has proven to have a positive impact on the students. Trampolining is a highly sensory activity that provides a lot of stimulation and sensory feedback. The sessions help young people with autism to control their anxiety and to relieve the build-up of stress. Students generally feel more relaxed and happy after the sessions.

Students from Aycliffe School at North East Centre for Autism, Newton Aycliffe entered the competition and won a number of awards. Georgia Hutchinson, aged 14 from Hartlepool said; "I love trampolining because I like the challenge every week of completing the different moves and sequences. I find that trampolining helps me to feel more relaxed; when I feel upset or angry it makes me feel so much better in myself. The competition was a very exciting challenge for me and I received an award for third place in the over 13’s girls category."

The North East Autism Society run free Trampoline Lessons for individuals with special needs. The sessions run twice a month on a Saturday 10am - 12noon at North East Centre for Autism, Newton Aycliffe. 

For more information and to book please call Theresa Arrowsmith on 01325 328 080 or email