A BURNLEY cheerleading group has been shouting out about its success after it was chosen to represent Great Britain.

Clarets Cheer and Dance, in Hammerton Street, took first place in the senior non-traditional street dance category at the UK Cheerleading Association’s 2014 National Championships.

The squad’s junior team finished second in its section, and both groups of girls will represent their country at the European Championships later this year.

Coach Sophie Boyle said: “We are thrilled to be chosen to represent the UK in street cheer at the Europeans this year. Only two teams got chosen from each category. This is a massive achievement for us as a whole club, not just the individual teams. It was the proudest weekend of my life.”

The success is just one of a string of recent successes for the group.

In November, they competed in the UK Cheerleading Association’s Winter Championships, taking home two first places, second place, third place and a fourth place, as well as an award for sportsmanship and spirit.

The club was originally part of Burnley Football Club but has been run independently for the past three years after funding was cut. They meet on Tuesday and Thursday nights for regular classes but also practice on Wednesdays and Sundays in the run-up to events and competitions.

She added: “Members range from the ages four to 22-years-old, all of which are female at the moment but we are pushing for some boys.

“We compete two to three times a year. Competitions are expensive so depending on the price of outfits and time of year we often give the girls the choice of where and when they would like to compete.

“We have monthly parent and coaches meetings where we will often discuss plans for the club, fundraising ideas, events we can take part in and general ideas on how to improve the club. We have a lovely bunch of really supportive parents and helpers that are really involved with help running the club.”

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