A cheerleading troop which just won a national competition are already setting their sights on winning again, in Northern Ireland later this month.

The senior squad in Enfield Blaze Allstar Cheerleaders took first place at the UK Cheerleading Association’s competition in Manchester, last month.

The team, made from 14 to 16 year olds, are already in training for the Northern Ireland schools championship on Saturday, March 31.

The squad, which has more than 70 members, comprises five groups of different levels and ages. The cheerleaders range from four to 50 years old.

A team for parents of the cheerleaders who want to get involved in the game was set up three years ago. The team, which is made up of 12 members, will also compete in the Northern Ireland competition.

Karen Adlam, 46, is part of the parent cheerleaders and has a 16-year-old daughter called Louise in the senior squad, who has been cheering since she was eight years old.

She said: “We have to work as a team, which is a really good thing for the younger people in the team as they realise that not everything is about you.

“The coaches are really good at inspiring team spirit and you don’t have to be a brilliant gymnast, you can just come along.

“It’s good because not everyone is hanging around the street, there is more to do than that.”

All five cheerleading groups compete in competitions at least twice a year, but their win in Manchester was the first time they had won a national competition.

The squads, which are made from girls, women and one boy, are kitted out in a smart purple and gold uniform which arrived the day before the latest competition in Manchester.

A girl in the senior team who performed at Manchester is recovering from a fractured ankle after landing at a difficult angle during the competition.

Although she is now in a plaster cast, the cheerleader continued the routine and performed the flips which came as part of the routine.

The teams will fly to Belfast on Friday, 30 March for the national competition, stay in a hotel together and take a trip to the Titanic exhibition as a treat.

Training takes place on Tuesdays from 6pm to 9pm at Westbourne Hall in Eastbournia Avenue, Edmonton, and at Edmonton Leisure Centre, The Broadway, Edmonton, on Sundays, from 12pm to 3pm.