TWENTY three athletes from the Leigh-based Venom Team UK have qualified as assistant UKCA coaches.

They are on the first step of the ladder, building a strong foundation for the future of Cheerleading at Leigh Gymnastics Club. The girls are aged 12 - 16 and all are part of the National Team representing the UK in Italy at the end of June.

Two teams from Leigh Gymnastics Club will be jetting off to Riccione in Italy in June to compete against the best cheerleaders from across Europe.

Head coach Jill Orrell said: “It’s a brilliant achievement as both our juniors under 17 and under 13 have qualified and it will the first time that our under 17s have competed in the European Championships.”

The girls impressed judges at the UK National Cheerleading Championships in Manchester last month, where the squad entered six divisions with cheerleader’s ages ranging from 6 to 17yrs.

All seven teams were placed in the top two of their divisions, with two divisions qualifying for the European Championships.

Venom Stunt & Cheer is the only UK team to have competed in the European Championship and win gold.

They were crowned winners of the 2011 European Sunshine Cheer Cup at the Cheerleading Championships in Slovenia last July.

Leigh Gymnastics Club is now fundraising to help talented athletes get to Italy to compete against the best teams in Europe; but before the girls can head off to compete, they must raise thousands of pounds to pay for the trip.

Theye have planned bag packs at Asda in Leigh, sponsored cartwheels, raffles and an Easter disco and are asking any businesses which would like to support or sponsor the 2012 UK squad to contact Jill at Leigh Gymnastics Club on 07791 868295.