YEAR 7 Upper Wharfedale student Sonny Atkinson, from Grassington, has won gold with the Yorkshire gymnastics squad at a recent national competition.

Sonny started gymnastics at the age of four, following in his sister Rosa’s footsteps and joining Craven Gymnastics Club in Skipton.

From the age of six he began training with coach Ed Pickering at Diamonds Gymnastics Club in Halifax.

He has proved he is an eager student; attending Diamonds three evenings in the week and all-day on Saturday, totalling 18 hours training every week.

Sonny was selected to join the Yorkshire gymnastics squad following the regional competition in Leeds in September.

At the start of November, he was part of the Yorkshire Team at the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics national finals in Telford.

Teams consisted of five boys competing on vault, floor, rings, high bar, pommel, parallel bars and a strength control routine known as PPP.

All the members of the team performed well against the eight other regions.

Sonny finished 16th after all pieces of apparatus had been completed and the Yorkshire team came away with Gold.

A fantastic result and a great reward for all the dedication and hard work by the gymnasts, coaches and parents.