Bosses of Huntingdon Gymnastics Club, in Claytons Way, Huntingdon, say the phone has been red hot with parents who want to sign up their children to follow in the footsteps of bronze medal-winning gymnast Louis (19), of Cleve Place, Eye, near Peterborough.

Now firms in Cambridgeshire are being urged to help raise £4.5 million in a bid to build a new state-of-the-art gym and find the next Louis Smith.

A spokesman for the gym said: "We are calling on the public's support in helping to fund the new centre of excellence and find the next Olympic star."

The club is one of the top in Great Britain, with former and current gymnasts including Olympians, European medallists, international competitors, and members of Great Britain junior and senior national squads.

The club has recently received planning permission to build an extension to its existing facilities.

The new building would provide a massive recreational gym, fitness centre, dance studio, indoor bowls, judo, internet café, children's play area and climbing wall.

The building itself would also be a flagship building for East Anglia, as it has been designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. It would also provide the best possible facilities for special needs and disabled users.

The spokesman said: "Our aim is to create a state-of-the-art gymnastics facility that will provide an optimal training environment for athletes aspiring to compete in the London 2012 Olympic Games and beyond, as well as the opportunity for all members of the local community to benefit from gymnastics and other forms of physical and sporting activity at every level.

"With a waiting list of several hundred children, and special needs, adults and children and some of the best elite gymnasts in the UK training every day, the new facilities are long overdue."

Meanwhile, gymnastics experts across the country are hoping Louis's efforts will pave the way for more success at London 2012.

The teenager was the first individual British gymnast to gain a podium place for a century, after he exceeded expectations on the pommel horse last week.

He had already raised the bar for British men's gymnastics in the previous year, when he won a bronze medal in pommel in the world Championships – Britain's first men's medal at international level for 13 years.

Chief executive of English Gymnastics Mark Gannon said there was "a lot of young talent" coming through, and that, in England alone, there were between 150,000 and 200,000 people waiting to get into a club.

He said: "We don't celebrate nearly enough that we've got 10 different disciplines.

"There's a place for everyone within the sport.""

nIf you would like to help the club, call the secretary, Erica, on 01480 52343. For more information about the club, visit www. huntingdongymclub.com

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