Whanganui Boys & Girls Gym Club is a long-standing non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to fostering physical fitness, confidence, and foundational movement skills across the community. Established in 1957 by Jim Bowley under the guiding ethos of 'Healthy body, Healthy mind', the club has grown from grassroots gatherings into an established gymnastics facility affiliated with Gymnastics New Zealand and supported by Sport Whanganui.
The club delivers a wide array of gymnastics and movement programmes suited for all ages and abilities, ranging from preschool sessions and recreational gymnastics to competitive artistic pathways, tumbling, and teamgym. Beyond regular term classes, the club provides before and after school care, school holiday programmes, weekend birthday parties, and tailored sessions for community groups and children with diverse needs. Everything is designed around their core values of fun, fitness, and fundamentals.
Whanganui Boys & Girls Gym Club stands as an established pillar of physical education and community athletics in Whanganui. Originally formed in 1957 by police constable Jim Bowley to encourage local youth toward active physical development, the club started simply on the coastal sands at Castlecliff. Over the decades, guided by dedicated coaches including Danish gymnasts Jens and Karen Bukholt who introduced new training standards in the 1960s, the organisation evolved into an acclaimed centre for artistic and performance gymnastics.
Today, the club operates under a charitable trust affiliated with Gymnastics New Zealand and supported locally by Sport Whanganui. With a mission centred on 'Fun, Fitness and Fundamentals', the facility welcomes movers of every age and stage—from toddlers stepping onto the mats for the very first time to seasoned gymnasts pursuing competitive artistic excellence.
At the core of the club’s offerings is an accessible pathway for every participant. Early childhood classes introduce toddlers from 18 months to balance, climbing, and body awareness through guided play. As children grow, they can progress through structured recreational gymnastics streams that emphasize agility, flexibility, and core gymnastics skills without the pressure of formal contest.
For those interested in specialised pathways, Whanganui Boys & Girls Gym Club has a rich heritage in Teamgym. The club was instrumental in introducing this European-derived discipline to New Zealand in the 1990s, blending group choreography, vaulting, tumbling, and mini-trampoline sequences into collaborative team routines. In addition, the club hosts dedicated tumbling squads as well as Men's and Women's Artistic Competitive programmes, training young athletes to represent their club across regional and national stages.
Beyond term-time athletic classes, the gym functions as an active community hub. Working alongside groups like Whanganui Unique, the coaching staff delivers dedicated sessions tailored for autistic tamariki and community groups, ensuring movement is truly accessible to all.
Families also rely heavily on the club's OSCAR-approved child care options. The before and after school programmes provide nutritious snacks, structured activities, and local school transport. During term breaks, full-day holiday programmes keep children engaged in active sport. On weekends, the expansive gym space turns into a vibrant party venue, hosting fully supervised birthday gatherings where tamariki can run, bounce, and explore the mats and apparatus in any weather.