THE founder of a city weightlifting club which has produced countless champions fears it will go bust because of cuts in its grants.

 

Alex Richardson, who was a British champion, opened the Gladiators club in Easterhouse 30 years ago.

Since then it has produced a long list of Scottish, British and international champions.

But Mr Richardson now fears the club may be forced to close within two years because of lack of cash.

It presently operates from Achilles facility and last year alone won 62 British and international titles.

Under its school development plan it buses children to the gym and oversees the transport of weightlifters to events all over Great Britain.

Mr Richardson said: "Gladiators is a children's charity and our priority is to deliver physical activity through play which often advances the children into sport. We keep the kids away from drugs, territorialism, gangs and crime."

But he says in the past three years, the level of grant the club gets has been cut from £51,000 to £30,000.

Mr Richardson said: "We estimate the club could go bankrupt in two years time.

"The more successful the kids, the bigger the travel and accommodation costs to get them up and down Great Britain.

"You have to be in it to win it. If you can't get to the big competitions then it does not matter how good a talent a young person has.

"You would think with the council's commitment to continue the Commonwealth Games legacy that the Gladiators would get maximum support, especially coming from an area with the lowest life expectancy rate in Western Europe and an area deemed to be the murder capital of Western Europe.

"Our core funding covers our facility and transport costs and that has been decimated.

"You would think a group like Gladiators, which a history of Commonwealth sporting success, would have been a priority for help from the massive benefits council leader Gordon Matheson claims the city is enjoying from the Commonwealth legacy.

The Gladiators group is a former Evening Times Community Champion.