THE best coaches in the country have recognised potential in a schoolboy from Northwich and want to help him get better at his chosen sport.

Harry Nicholson, who goes to St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School, has been invited by English Gymnastics to join a programme that provides training and advice for talented youngsters.

It is open to only 30 boys, across all age-groups, each year and the 10-year-old has already attended a first camp at Lowestoft.

“His eyes were on stalks!” said dad Andrew.

“Some of the other guys there are quite a big deal in Harry’s gym and he was on cloud nine after training alongside them.”

It is the latest step in Harry’s development since he visited Hartford School of Gymnastics for the first time as a four-year-old.

He progressed rapidly, prompting a move to City of Manchester Institute of Gymnastics where he could benefit from working with high-level coaches Andrew Webb and Liam Herring.

“I’m not sure where Harry gets his passion for gymnastics from because neither I nor his mum can touch our toes,” laughed Andrew.

“He was hyperactive when he was much younger and we could never tire him out.

“Gymnastics has been an outlet for that.”

Harry trains six days a week in Manchester and leaves school early every Wednesday to do a longer session.

It means he spends between 25 and 30 hours honing his skills.

Meanwhile a place on English Gymnastics’ national performance pathway includes an added requirement to attend half-a-dozen training camps at venues across the country.

Andrew said: “It’s huge commitment and obviously gymnastics is a big chunk of his life.”

Harry competed in the all-around competition for under 12s boys at the British Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool last month.

His best score was on parallel bars, although the experience of taking part in an event on that scale was most important this time around.

“He looked like tiny dot on the podium!” added Andrew.

“But he loved the experience and came away with a t-shirt with his name on that says he was there.”