6:36pm Sunday 18th May 2008
The peak of physical fitness will be on show next weekend as the British Lead Climbing Championships once again takes to the town's now famous climbing towers.
Over next weekend the best of British and international climbing competitors will head for the towers at George Bancroft Park to compete for the prestigious title.
As one of the biggest dates in the British Mountaineering Council's (BMC's) diary Blackpool Council is hoping climbing enthusiasts will flock to the town.
This is the second time the towers have played host to the competition with last year's event being hailed as a great success.
This year the council intends to use the event to promote the sport as a form of exercise.
The Climbing wall at Blackpool Sports Centre, Stanley Park, is already very popular, bosses say, and the council has taken on some highly trained and experiences climbing trainers to help teach the next generation of rope swinging talent.
Last year's female champion Lucy Creamer, who now works with the BMC to organise this year's competition, said: "The BMC is delighted to be holding the British Lead Climbing Championships on Blackpool's awesome climbing towers.
"The venue means we can hold the competition as a single event rather than a series, so spectators will witness all the action and excitement in one go.
"Plus the more people that come along the better the atmosphere so the climbers will be on top form.
"There will be a junior competition on the Saturday which will be great to show local children how exciting the sport can be.
"It's a fantastic form of exercise and takes a great deal of discipline and determination to make it to the top.
"I would hope that seeing the competition will inspire people to have a go at the sport and maybe we will see some Blackpool competitors taking part in a few years."
To accompany the competition the council plans to use the rest of the park to make the weekend into a real community event.
Activities for families are planned to make both days as fun as possible.
Councillor Tony Williams, Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities said: "Blackpool has some excellent facilities for people wanting to try climbing either at Bancroft Park or at the new climbing facilities at Blackpool Sports Centre.
"This event will not only bring people into the town but will also raise the profile of the sport to local people.
"The competitors at last year's championships were at the peak of physical fitness and are an inspiration to us all.
"The junior event will be an excellent example to young people living in Blackpool of how the sport can be enjoyable and a remarkable form of exercise."
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