A TEACHER has left her job at a primary school to concentrate on her promising gymnastics career full time.

Hayley Martin, 24, from Christ-church, says her ultimate dream would be to work with the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil.

She bade farewell to her Year 1 pupils at Winton Primary School yesterday in order to focus her efforts on gymnastics.

She said: “This is my second year of teaching at Winton Primary School and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been brilliant.

She added: “But at the same time, since I’ve been teaching, I’ve realised how much I have missed the competitions and the focus of gymnastics.

“I don’t feel like I want to look back on life and have any regrets.”

Hayley has been a keen gymnast since the age of five, when she started doing artistic gymnastics, which sees women doing on the vault as an Olympic sport, which she carried on until aged 18.

“Since then, I’ve being doing TeamGym, which has three disciplines, trampet, floor and tumble, which you do in groups of up to 12,” she said.

“My group has competed three times at the European Champ- ionships since I have been part of it and I also competed for Great Britain at age 16 and again at 18 in artistic gymnastics.

“I also like aerial silks as well, which I’ve been doing for a year, as my friend set up a company which specialises on it, and now it’s just another skill that I have.

“Although I haven’t officially got anything lined up yet, I’ve got an audition next week and a few exciting things planned for the near future.

“I’ve really loved teaching, but I’m at that age where I have to ask myself whether it’s a risk that I am prepared to take and it is, so hopefully it will all work out for me.

“It was a really hard decision to make. It’s taken me over a few months to decide, but thankfully everyone has been really supportive and the school have just said that they want the best for me.

“I really do feel mixed emotions, as I would have liked to have seen the school year out, but now is the best time to leave as there are new things to look forward to. I’ve always said and been told to live your dreams.

“I think that the ultimate thing would be for me to work with Cirque du Soleil, because it is just such a fantastic company.

“Then in a few years, I could settle down and perhaps go back to teaching.”

Hayley will be heading to the British TeamGym Championships in May.