The aim is to raise as much money as possible for Widnes Gymnastic Academy as they send a squad of gymnasts aged from 5 to 15 to the USAIGC world championships taking place in Orlando, Florida in June 2026.

Based on the number of kids looking to head to Orlando, and using approximate costing from previous years we think we will need to raise approximately £15000. This is without the individual costs of travel, accommodation, which are all self funded . All the money raised will contribute to the clubs total and help pay for the squads kits & fees.

This year is special on a personal level because all 3 of my daughters are aiming to qualify for USAIGC international world championships this time round. They each have their own personal goals and reasons for wanting to compete and their own unique personalities to match. When Emma, my eldest daughter first started attending Widnes Gymnastic Academy, Katie, my youngest daughter hadn't been born yet, and as we fast forward 6 years it's amazing to be able to offer all 3 of them the opportunity to compete in such events ..... watching them compete is literally one of my favorite things in the world (other than on beam as it scares the hell out of me :-) and is why being able to provide them with opportunities to shine and get out of their comfortable zone is so important to my wife and I.

The club has always been a second home to my daughters, they have literally grown up there and the coaches have been nothing short of amazing since day one in helping support and develop them through the ups and the down of not just becoming a better gymnast but also the struggles of just developing into a young person.

I talk on behalf of all the parents when I say we are forever grateful that our daughters have such and amazing home away from home , that allows them to grow and chase the goals and dream

After taking 2025 off … this year’s WGA fundraising challenge is back and the biggest one yet

In 2022 I completed an concept 2 Iron consisting off a marathon on the Ski Erg, 100km on the Bike Erg and a marathon on the rowing machine all in a day

In 2023 I climbed the height of mount Everest on a stairmaster … this took 14 hours across 2 days

In 2024 I completed a Pull Up for every £1 donated , this total 600 pull ups in a day …… and took the best part of 6 months to recover from a destroyed elbow🤦

This years challenge is 'Just 10 x 10 km ... 3 days in a row'

This will take place in January 2026 with the exact date to be confirmed, but following tradition these events normally take place on the weekend 3 or 4th weekend of the month ... ironically it all depends my the girls competition schedule

This is another big step into the unknown but i l going into it with the mantra of being naive enough to start but stubborn enough to finish. My background is in athletics, basketball and badminton up to county and national level before competing in Crossfit before finally competing in indoor rowing where I currently hold the British records in the lightweight 30 -39 category for 1 minute maximum distance, 500m & 1000m. These type of sports and events tended to all favour intermittent or very high intensity efforts, so these ultra endurance events are certainly not in my comfort zone to say the least, but there's always a meaningful cause at the heart of them which helps keeps me going when i m ready to tap out of throw in the towels.

Part of the challenge is in the preparation for the big day, i m 41 years old not 21 anymore, I have a full time job along side private 1-2-1 clients , my daughters are at at the gym 6 days per weeks for there own training, meaning that i don't have an unlimited number of hours per day to train .. the biggest misconception about when I ve done events like this in the past is 'its ok for you because you have all day to train' ..... where the reality is this couldnt be further from the truth

I m aiming for a target of £2000 to help contribute to the total amount that the club needs to support all the girls for their trip to the USAIGC world championships so any donations, no matter how small all add up to make a real difference and are all greatly appreciated

Thank you for any donations or support, you can follow the journey on Instagram @performance_with_PJ

Paul & Toni aka : Emma, Holly & Katie's Mum & Dad