Two East Lancashire brothers will be going for gold next month at a national gymnastics final.

Agile Ted Havers, 12, and his younger brother Bob, nine, will be representing the North West at the event which will feature some of the country's top young athletes.

The pair were selected to represent the region following trials held in Wigan last month, and Ted, who is in Year 8 at Haslingden High School, is relishing the opportunity to test himself against other top tumblers.

He said: “They have just redone the grades and we only found out a couple of months ago how they have changed, and so we have had to change some of the routines.”

The Grade 4 gymnast is dedicated to the sport having started when he was three after he asked his mum how to do a cartwheel.

Now both his younger brothers, Bob and Jim, five, who attend Stubbins Primary School in Ramsbottom, are also gymnasts, all training together at Bury Gymnastics Club.

Ted said: “In the competition, my best result was on vault where I got 9.1. My weakest was the high bar and that is what I am going to be training hard on.

“We also do pommel, parallel bars, rings, floor and a PPP Physical Preparation Programme.

“I am delighted to be representing Bury Gymnastics Club and the North West in a national competition at the age of 12.”

Ted spends 17-and-a-half hours training at Bury each week and adds extra sessions in the lead-up to competitions so he can be at his best on the big stage.

All this training requires a lot of fuel to keep him going.

He said: “When I am training, if it is on the pommel, then I will be working on that equipment for a full hour.

“I eat tonnes of food, but I burn it off. Mentally, in the morning, I can be tired or groggy, but when I get to the gym it is really nice, I am with all my friends and I have great social interaction."

A modest boy, Ted said at last year's finals he "did alright" as he helped the North West to a sixth-place finish. This year he will have the experience of competing alongside his brother, too.

Ted added: “I am hoping to do better this year and will be competing as a team and an individual.

"I want to try to get a medal. I am excited and nervous, but I will have had a couple of months to prepare for the competition.”