TRIBUTES have been paid to a Westhoughton dancer and two-time winner of Miss Pole Dance UK.

Jess Leanne Norris died at the age of 27.

Miss Norris had a huge impact not just in the local community but in the pole dancing industry, setting up her first pole dancing studio at the age of 15.

She won her first Miss Pole Dance UK title in 2011, and claimed the crown for a second time in 2015.

Last year she launched a fundraising drive in aid of mental health charities.

People from across the pole dancing and fitness community have been sharing the impact Miss Norris had on their lives.

Kay Penney, the found of Miss Pole Dance UK, described Miss Norris in a post shared on the competition’s Facebook page as a ‘national treasure’.

She said: “Thank you for your contribution and as a true ambassador for the aerial arts, touching so many lives, hearts and souls, lifting many of us with your entertaining, unforgettable and mesmerising routines.

“Thank you for your unquestionable dedication and sharing your talent through many classes, masterclasses, camps, events and competitions.

“You shone like a beacon of hope on so many stages and your legacy will live on forever in the history of pole and personally as my pole daughter, who constantly showed your gratitude over the years and during your reign as double female singles champion.”

Lee Hill, founder and former owner of Bodytorq Fitness in Westhoughton, worked with Miss Norris in 2014.

He said: “She was a really bubbly person and she was so passionate about her work. She made an instant impact and her classes were always full of people, she was very popular.

“Jess was very business minded. She was very driven and wanted to keep improving.

“She had a great presence about her and she touched so many lives, she had a massive impact in that industry, not just in Bolton but across the country.

“She had a really natural gift for coaching people, she could be a real task master when it came to training but she always led by example ­— she never just stood there and ordered people about. She she did the work with them.”

* Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year, providing a safe place to talk for anyone who is struggling to cope. Call 116 123, 01204 521200 or email jo@samaritans.org