Heather Lockwood is the Club Welfare Officer at Tolworth Gymnastics Club, based in Surrey. As part of this role Heather has a liaison responsibility between and amongst coaches, parents and gymnasts. She also is involved in the day-to-day admin of the club.

Heather became involved with the club in the late 90's as a result of her children's participation in the sport. She initially helped with fund-raising activities and gradually become more ensconced with the daily activities of the club. She now works as a full-time employee.

When the club decided to go for GymMark, Heather took on the role of Club Welfare Officer and has since helped to put appropriate paperwork and more formalised communications procedures in place. Heather has now become one of the key contacts for parents and children and ensures that the club's Code of Conduct is followed by both club and parents.

Having GymMark means the club is looked upon more favourably when funding is applied for. It means the club's professionalism and its high safety and welfare standards have now been formally recognised and can be tangibly demonstrated to the local community. This is particularly important in the face of ever-increasing numbers of people using the internet to seek out information about sports clubs. It guarantees that we are operating at these high standards. It also helps us to give the sport overall - which is rather less well-understood at grass roots level compared with, say, football - a more professional and serious image. In other words it will help people to recognise it as a real sport.

Heather said:

"We can now demonstrate much more effectively, through publicity material, the internet, etc., that we are a serious sport with very high standard facilities, professional coaching and proper supervision."