Tilly climbs to new heights with top five bouldering win

A YOUNG climber has beaten off scores of rivals in a national climbing competition.

Tilly Vasic, 11, from Bacup, made the top five at the British Junior Bouldering Championship.

The competition took place at the Depot Climbing Centre in Manchester and involved youngsters climbing artificial walls without the use of ropes or harnesses.

Holds made of plastic are bolted onto the walls to create problems for climbers to negotiate.

The determined schoolgirl’s success follows her securing 17th position in a national climbing competition in Edinburgh after qualifying for the North West Climbing Team earlier this year.

Tilly, a pupil at Bacup ●● Tilly Vasic in action at the Debot Climbing Centre and with one of her many awards and Rawtenstall Grammar School, has also won a regional bouldering competition at Awesome Walls Climbing Centre in Stockport.

Tilly lives with her cyclist sister Maisy, 13, and their mum Lynne and dad Milorad.

Milorad said: “The competition, which Tilly entered as part of the Blackburn Boulder UK team, was very special.

“It was her first year in this age category and out of a national field of 30 climbers she qualified for the final climb off, taking fifth spot overall, even though she was the youngest climber in the group. She was hoping for a top 15 slot but both me and her coach Gill Peet were not surprised by her top five finish. She’s really trained hard for the event.”

THE owner of Oakenshaw House at Oakenshaw View in Whitworth has been granted planning permission from Rossendale Borough Council to build a second house on the plot. The new four bedroom detached house will be built in the current house’s garden. It will have stone walls, a slate roof and U.P.V.C windows and doors. The owner will also double the amount of car parking spaces to four.