The family of 14-year-old Jude Adams, a talented gymnast from Poole, is calling on local businesses for sponsorship to help him continue competing on the international stage.

Despite his remarkable progress in tumbling—a gymnastics discipline—his family is struggling to fund his training and competition expenses, as the sport currently lacks official funding.

Jude, who has been involved in gymnastics since the age of 14 months, trains at the Poole Trampolining and Gymnastics Centre under coach Mikey Barnes.

He is also a student at Bournemouth’s Leaf Academy, where he focuses on sports. This October, Jude is set to compete in the British Trampoline, Tumbling and DMT Championships in Telford and participate in competitions in Belgium and Paris.

His mother, Carley Adams, spoke about his journey: “Jude took to gymnastics from the day I signed him up to a class at 14 months old. By the time he was five, people were telling me he had potential in the sport.

“He’s been working at it ever since and is incredibly dedicated. Unfortunately, tumbling isn’t yet an Olympic sport, so you can’t get any official funding. We’re hoping local businesses will consider supporting him as he competes internationally.”

To support Jude, his godmother Lucy Culkin, who owns the Winking Prawn restaurant in Salcombe, has started a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise £5,000 to cover training, travel, and competition costs.

Lucy expressed her admiration for Jude: “I’ve watched Jude develop into an inspiring athlete. This is a fantastic opportunity for him, and we hope the community will rally behind him.”

Jude’s dream is to represent Britain at the Olympics. He said: “We’re reaching out to the community for support. Every contribution will help me cover the costs and bring me one step closer to my dream of becoming an Olympian and winning a gold medal for Britain.”

To support Jude’s journey, visit gofundme.com/f/judes-british-gymnastics-fundraiser or contact Carley at carley.s@btinternet.com