MEET THE TEAM

"Front of House"

​Level 2 Coach: Jackie Rust

I joined Tiggers in February 2008 never having been on a trampoline in my life before and not having had any experience of the autistic spectrum. I began as a spotter and in 2009 passed my British Gymnastics Level 1 assistant coach qualification. I went on to my Level 2 coach qualification in 2010. I've also done British Gymnastics GMPD disability coaching, safeguarding and First Aid qualifications and flexibility training. I became the Tiggers lead coach in 2012 and worked most Sundays until July 2023 when Dave and I retired from our lead coaching roles. We both now continue to volunteer regularly to cover coaches' holidays and absences throughout the year.

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Level 2 Coach: Dave Rust

I was the first volunteer when the club started back in 2004 and became the BG coach for Tiggers a month later. 
I have my GMPD,  rebound therapy, safeguarding, time to listen, club management and first aid awards as well as being a level 2 trampoline coach. My sporting background comes from my time in the air force where I enjoyed rugby, weight lifting, badminton and route marching. I have been on the committee since 2004. Tiggers is a big part of my life and an extension of my family! After19 years of coaching most weeks, I'm now enjoying retirement but still cover coaches' holidays at Tiggers regularly.

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Level 2 coach: Donna Hollamby

My son and nephew both joined Tiggers in 2006 and I helped with spotting. Due to my background as a disability riding instructor and training manager, I was persuaded to do some trampoline coaching. I have volunteered in a variety of roles with the club over the years. I'm also a Level 1 swimming teacher. Since passing BG Level 2 coaching I now run 3 Tiggers sessions a week. I keep up to date with CPD in coaching, (disability, equity. inclusive, positive, etc) safeguarding, risk assessment, deaf awareness and more. 

 

Level 1 Coach: Suzanne Pinder

Suzanne passed her BG  Level 1 trampoline coaching exam in 2020 and has coached at most sessions since then. She is also the charity chair and runs the allotment along with Lee (see their info below!)

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Level 1 Coach: Yvonne Aspey

Yvonne assists with our sessions on an ad hoc basis, in between running her business, working another job, and looking after her family!

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Admin assistant and reception: Nigel Bland

Nigel is a very important part of the Sunday Tiggers team who turns up every Sunday to man the desk, answer the phone, check emails, sign people in, take bookings for events, pass on information, hand out forms and keep the paperwork in order. ​

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Spotters and trampoline assistants​

We have a number of volunteers at every session who "spot" at the trampolines to ensure the safety of the gymnasts. Without this help it would not be possible to run the sessions! Often these spotters go on to become trampoline helpers and even coaches. We have family members, students, friends, and total strangers who volunteer, and we also encourage members to volunteer if they wish to.

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"Behind the Scenes"

Committee - 2024 - 2025

Chair, autism adviser and Level 1 coach: Suzanne Pinder

My sons are both on the autistic spectrum and my younger son joined Tiggers in 2005. There was very little other support for families at this time and Tiggers became a lifeline. I joined the committee in 2006 as a parent representative and volunteer. I have been a Registered General Nurse for 30 years which has helped me to negotiate the minefield of diagnosis, statementing, speech therapy, social services and finding the right school! I am also a qualified teacher and gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Autism in 2011. due to the shortage of coaches available I trained as a Level 1 trampoline coach in 2020 and have worked most sessions since. I know how important it is for families to have support and somewhere safe to bring their children, where they won't feel judged and can talk about their experiences. 

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Treasurer: Hilary Ainge

Hilary has been involved with Tiggers since her son became a member many years ago. She looks after the purse strings, pays the bills and keeps us on the ball when funds are running low! She, and her late husband Bruce, were very active in the committee keeping Tiggers running for many years and Hilary is still a vital part of the Tiggers team.

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Charity Secretary & Level 2 coach: Donna Hollamby (see above)

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Welfare Officer and autism adviser: Joscelyn Cawood 

Joscelyn is a parent and qualified safeguarding officer who keeps a close eye on our safety and safeguarding, updates us on policies and is the first point of contact if you have a safeguarding issue or concern for welfare of any kind.

Dedicated welfare email address: tiggerswelfare@hotmail.com

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Trustee - Parent Representative: Denise Robinson

Denise is another recruit from amongst the parents of our longstanding members and her son is a regular attendee at Sunday sessions. Her background in education support is an asset to the club.

 

​Trustee and Level 2 Coach: Dave Rust (see above)

 

Trustee and Level 2 Coach: Jackie Rust (see above)

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Trustee - Holiday Programme Volunteer: Emma Bonney

Emma is another parent who joined the committee to help the club to run more smoothly. She works with a local parent carer forum and has a wealth of local knowledge. She runs the majority of our holiday events and comes up with some great ideas!

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Trustee and Maintenance Guru: Lee Payne

Lee has volunteered with Tiggers for many years, mainly during his holidays from the school where he worked in London.

Now retired, he has made Blackpool his home and Tiggers his project! He spent most of 2024 updating and replacing the allotment buildings, fencing, decking and greenhouse to make it the best it can be. Of course he's also repaired umpteen things in the unit too, in between spotting at almost every trampolining session 3 times a week for the last 2 years.

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Trustees and volunteers needed!

We need new faces to join our committee and help keep our charity running for the future. Think you can help? We usually only meet once every 2 months so it's not a massive task! Please speak to a committee member if you're interested. Remember we are  a parent led charity!

If that's not your scene, but you want to help another way please contact a trustee to let us know what skills you can offer.

We always need spotters, but we need help with fundraising, grant writing, admin, cleaning, gardening, and I.T., amongst other things!​​