AN 11-YEAR-OLD girl who was inspired to take up dancing by cartoon character Angelina Ballerina was crowned a North West champion.

Alice Schofield, of Newchurch in Rossendale, came first in the 10-11 year age category for tap dancing at the British National Dance Championships, held at Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

The year seven pupil at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Blackburn, who has turned 12 since the event, also came fourth in her age group for modern jazz dancing.

She trains six days a week at the Rossendale Dance and Drama Centre and also takes part in QEGS after-school dance club.

She beat off competition from 100 others in her category to be crowned winner and was presented with a two foot gold trophy.

Alice said: "The adjudicators watched us all perform and if they thought you were good enough they recalled you for another dance, so they could watch you again.

"I kept being recalled and recalled, and eventually I came first place."

She added: "I was really excited when I won but I didn't realise I had done first of all.

"My number was 365 and the judge read out 300, and then a long pause before adding the 65 at the end.

"The boy who was number 300 started getting up to collect the award but had to sit back down."

Alice has been dancing since she was six after being inspierd by the Angelina Ballerina cartoons.

She said that she like the "fast beats and the sound the tap shoes make" most of all.

PE teacher Angela Bamber runs the school's dance club. She said: "It's a fantastic achievement, Alice is an asset to the dance club.

"It's a great achievement considering that you have to be nominated for the competition based on your dance exam results - that Alice has taken outside the school - it's not something you can just enter."

Phil Lloyd, development director at the school, said: "It's fantastic, we're all really proud of her.

"Dancing at the school has been going since we became fully co-education six years ago and girls came in.

"It's great to get a leading light like Alice, because it gives both girls and boys something to aspire to."

Alice is also busy honing her acting skills as she is playing the role of Pinocchio in the Bacup Youth Theatre pantomime in January.