NIMBLE-FOOTED youngsters hopped, skipped and jumped to be crowned gymnastics champions after wowing judges with a spellbinding routine.

A group of talented year two pupils from St Catherine's CE Primary School in Horwich competed in the Greater Manchester School Games, and came out in top in the gymnastics group competition in their age category.

The six strong team, comprising of Emma Fairclough, Grace Owen, Milly Brownlee, Rio Kattouche-Alker, Alex Hardman and Isla Yardley, all aged seven, practised for months before the competition, which was held at the National Cycling Centre.

They performed a floor routine, including balancing, jumping and rolling, a routine on the vault, as well as body management, which tested their flexibility and balance.

The sporty set even came into school early to carry out extra sessions to hone their skills with the help of their teacher, Angela Brookes, in the weeks running up to the event.

Mrs Brookes said she was very proud of the children following their achievements.

She said: "We were delighted, they were very dedicated and put so much time and effort into it that it was great to see them win.

"The children did the school proud and to come out on top with so many schools across the region competition was wonderful."

The future certainly looks bright for the school, with pupils also achieving individual success at the competition.

Emma Fairclough won an individual medal in the gymnastics competition, also performing the floor, body management and vault routines.

Another talented young sportsman is Alex Hardman, who as well as helping the team to gymnastics success, plays football at Preston North End's academy.

Wanderers fan Alex, who plays as a defender, hopes to emulate his hero, Whites star Kevin McNaughton.

The school reached the Greater Manchester finals after triumphing in the Bolton heats, which saw them compete against dozens of other schools across the region.

The games saw more than 2,000 school children compete in a range of sports, also including swimming, athletics, and squash, which are aimed at increasing the interest and participation of young people in sport.