Marjorie Raistrick-Carter

Marjorie Raistrick and Irene Hirst were both members of the Saltaire Gym Club at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Another Saltaire member, Dorothy Hey, was also selected but pulled out due to work commitments. When Raistrick appeared in her second Olympics at Roma in 1960, she was again, with Jill Pollard, one of two Saltaire members on the GB squad. The pair were also the only non-Welsh-born members of the GB women’s team. At the time of the Roma Games, Marjorie was known as Marjorie Carter after marrying Geoffrey Carter in 1957.

Raistrick took up gymnastics at the age of 11 and, despite a career that spanned more than 60 years, she never won a British title, although she did win at the Yorkshire Championships. After her active career, Raistrick-Carter started coaching at the Leeds Athletic Institute and later became the City of Leeds gymnastics coach. Although she retired at the age of 74, she continued coaching youngsters voluntarily well into her 80s.