THE Burnley-born Olympic and Commonwealth athlete Craig Heap wants to build a specialist gymnastic centre in East Lancashire - the first of its kind in the area.

The gold-medal-winning gymnast is hoping to use his expertise and experience to train up the next generation of potential Olympians at the £2million centre in Reedley.

And Craig said he wants the facility opened by 2010 so it can be used as a training camp for British athletes in the run up to the 2012 games in London.

The 33-year-old former Barden High School pupil wants to build the academy on his family's land just by the bridge that goes over the M65, off Barden Lane.

Craig said he wanted to build the centre in the area because he had to do a two-hour round trip to Manchester when he was training as a youngster.

He said: "It won't be a fitness gym, it will be a purpose built gymnastic centre.

"At the minute the nearest one to Burnley is in Manchester or in the other direction, Leeds.

"When I was competing I had to go there and it was a two-hour drive everyday there and back.

"There is absolutely nothing like it in East Lancashire.

"Whenever I go into schools they say can you teach us gymnastics because we don't have anybody who can."

Craig, who won Commonwealth gold in Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia in 1998, and in Manchester in 2002, also competed in the Sydney Olympics in 2002.

He now teaches fitness programme to children in schools and teaches budding gymnasts at Newcastle Gymnastic Academy.

He came up with the idea for the centre about 12 months ago.

Craig said he has the backing of British Gymnastics, Pendle Leisure and Burnley MP Kitty Ussher.

He is meeting Pendle's counterpart Gordon Prentice tomorrow.

He said the funding would hopefully come through grants from bodies such as Spirit England and various regeneration projects.

Once up and running, Craig said he also wanted to open a cricket academy and a small gym for parents to go while their children practice.

He added: "What I would also like to do is to extend it and build some cricket lanes and have it as a site for excellence because there is a real shortage of cricket lanes in the area.

"I just think it is a fantastic opportunity. I am not saying we are going to produce another Olympian, but it will give people the opportunity and will be open to the whole community."