A young climber is hitting new heights following an impressive performance at a top competition.

Nine-year-old Lily Kinnersley, from Carleton Grange, Carlisle, took a leading prize at the British Climbing Championships.

The Cumwhinton Primary School pupil was a runner up in the national ‘Girls E’ event – for youngsters born in 2007 or 2008.

She has been climbing since she was six, having attended the Eden Rock climbing centre with her dad Andrew shortly after it opened.

Lily regularly travels to take part in competitions on a national level and her latest award is just one of many that she has collected as a climber.

Competitors come from 10 different regions, with Lily having progressed from the Lakes and North East group.

“We went along to Eden Rock and started learning to climb together,” Andrew said.

“Since then she’s just kept going and really enjoys it. Lily is a much better climber than I am and she’s probably better than a lot of adults.

“In the most recent competition, which was a national one, the top three were part of a climb-off. It’s a bit like a penalty shoot-out in football and determines a winner.

“She finished second, which was a great achievement because there were around 30 competitors in the grand final and even more in the regional stages, so to get through that shows how good she is.”

Lily is also a member of the Cumbria Bouldering League, competing against people across the county. “She’s won a lot of competitions and finished second or third in many others,” Andrew added.

“She’s also competing against people who are older than herself and who are a bit bigger. The way she’s going, then within a few years she’ll hopefully be in the British team.”

Lily, who goes climbing between two and three times a week, told the News & Star : “I first went climbing with my dad just to try it out.

“I enjoyed it because it kept me entertained and meant I wasn’t in the house all the time. I go to lessons on Tuesdays then I climb on some other nights as well.”

Lily entered her first competition last year, when she travelled to Sunderland and finished ninth.

“I was hoping to finish in the top 10 this year but I came second, so I was surprised,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I was really pleased.”