GYMNASTS with 'Attitude' are continuing to put Crewe on the map.

The Cheshire Academy of Integrated Sport and Arts' teams of disabled and able bodied youngsters have once again succeeded at national and regional levels.

They confirmed the centre's leading role in Sports Acrobatics for the disabled with outstanding performances at the British championships.

The eight to 22-year-olds, a mix of disabled and able bodied gymnasts, train under the name of 'Attitude Acro'.

They returned from the championships, staged in the Potteries town of Fenton, with three gold medals and a trophy awarded for 'the best and most interesting performance'.

This special award went to Bethany Collina, 8, and Amy Evanson, 9, who the judges declared had 'radiated excitement and pure joy' when they performed their routine.

Bethany, who has Williams Syndrome, and her mainstream partner Amy had earlier picked up gold in the Disabilities level A category with their imaginative performance to Jungle Book music.

Kevin Schofield, 17, who has Aspergers Syndrome, a type of autism, performed with his mainstream partner Jheni Weir, 13 in the Disabilities level C category.

Their James Bond theme routine earned them the All Round National Championship at their level.

Successfully defending their All Round level D championship title were 22-year-olds Victoria Perez and mainstream partner Colin Heard. Their score of 9.6 was the highest disabilities score of the competition.

The Academy also provided the audience with a guest demonstration routine. Wheelchair user Michael Taylor, who had missed qualifying because he was undergoing major surgery, was fit enough to demonstrate his skills with mainstream partner Lisa Davis.

The pair were presented with flowers as an appreciation of their skill and achievement.

Academy co-director Iain Chalmers was thrilled at the team's performances.

"The Academy is almost single handedly raising the profile of a whole new disability sport on a national level

It is helping to redefine the definition of integration and is pioneering a new level of co-operation and integration between able bodied and disabled sports men and women," he said.

He is also delighted with the way the Academy gymnasts broke into mainstream competitions for the first time with a silver medal and several other impressive performances at the North West Region Low Level competition at Wigan.

Eight-year-old Hannah Goodrich and her partner Mark Hughes,10, collected a silver medal and were just 0.14 points away from the gold.

A fifth place went to ten-year-olds Stephanie Sandlands and Sarah Snape.

Lisa Jones and Amy Stubbs, both 9, and 14-year-olds Rebecca Lunt and Charlotte Clarke were placed within the top 15 in their more advanced tariff competition.

"They were competing against a whole host of clubs from all over the North West. Some had 20 years' experience whilst the Academy have only been coaching Sports Acrobatics in earnest for about a year.

"We are finding it is a sport which is capturing the interest and imagination of children because gymnasts must enter as pairs or trios.

"This allows friends to partner and be dependent on each other and be part of a team," said co-director Jane Whetnall.

THE ACADEMY also notched up success at the North West Boccia Bowling Championships at Macclesfield.

Tony Harris, who has Downs Syndrome, battled his way to the final stages and collected the Runner-up trophy after missing out on the winning place by just two points.

The Academy submited both junior and senior teams with a mixture of physical and learning disabled competitors.

"Boccia must be played from a sitting position and is ideal for individuals like myself who are wheelchair users. It is a game that requires a lot of hand to eye co-ordination and is similar to the French game of boules," explained coach Michael Horen.

The Academy's success continues despite the anxiety over its future. Faced with having to vacate its Macon Way base its directors and supporters are seeking a new home.

"We have no good news yet. We are still looking for land for a purpose built centre and would consider the Cumberland Track venue ideal. But there are no developments yet," said Mr Chalmers.