Members of the organisation, which was only established earlier this year, picked up the Club Mark standard, which rewards clubs who put their youth development system at the top of their agenda.

 

On hand to present the award was Tom Forbes of Scottish Cycling.

 

A spokesman for the Johnstone Jets said: “Club Mark is a nationally recognised set of standards that supports the development and recognition of quality junior clubs.

“The Johnstone Jets is one of only a handful of clubs to attain this standard in Scotland and we are particularly proud of achieving this endorsement after only six months.”

 

The Jets now have 36 members since they were formed earlier this year and they meet on a weekly basis at Linwood Sports Centre.

 

The emphasis is on having fun while developing cycling skills through structured coaching activities.

 

And the club has no less than five Scottish Cycling qualified coaches including head coach Katrina Hair, who has previously represented Scotland in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Sydney, Australia.

 

And in another boost the Jets have also announced they’ve finalised a long-term sponsorship deal with Bardon Concrete and Bikes By John.

 

Both companies have entered into three-year partnership agreements with the club and are fully committed to the Jets’ attempts to develop its youth talent.

A spokesman said: “Like the Jets, Bardon Concrete and Bikes By John can look forward to witnessing the benefits that this sponsorship will bring and perhaps even seeing club members competing in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.”

 

The club is also grateful to Scotland’s national cycle sports body Scottish Cycling for its support in establishing the club, including financial backing for their coach training and development programme, and to Renfrewshire Leisure, who have provided the club with the use of Linwood Sports Centre as their new home.

 

A Jets spokesman added: “We’d also like to thank our parent club, the Johnstone Wheelers, for their help in establishing the club.

 

“The Wheelers have been a feature of life in Johnstone since 1926 and now with the arrival of the Johnstone Jets it seems that their future is certain.”