CHEERLEADING teenagers from Salisbury will be representing England in world championships next year.

Five teenagers from Salisbury and Alderbury's Phoenix Stars will be competing in the World Cheerleading Championships in April, joining 18 other girls to form England's Junior Girl Advanced team.

Jess Scott, aged 14, Sophie Woodroffe, aged 16, Immy and Tara Bray, aged 13 and Poppy McNeill, aged 16, will join cheerleaders from all over the world travelling to Florida in April, hoping to return home with the gold medal.

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Sophie, who has been with Phoenix Stars since 2012, described getting onto the team as a "dream come true", adding: "We never imagined we'd be good enough to get a place on the national squad and represent our country in America."

In preparation for the event the Salisbury stunt team will be provided their routine to learn and perfect, before joining the rest of the national squad, selected from cheerleading schools across the country, to piece the entire routine together.

As well as practising for the event, the girls will be fundraising to cover the costs of flights, accommodation, and administration fees.

Team manager for Phoenix Stars, Jane Usher is "ecstatic" that some of her girls made the squad, adding: "We can't wait to support our girls, we are just so proud of them, this is just the beginning of their national careers.

"Getting selected for Team England is brutal, all these girls go to London to try out and there's no second chances - you're either in or you're not.

"All the coaches are flying out in April as well to show our support, as we feel very strongly about all the hard work the girls have put in."

In this year's competition Team England received the silver award, and Mother of Immy and Tara, Mandy Quigley, said: "This time we're going for gold."

She added: "It is fantastic the girls have been chosen, they've done so well to get this far. [Phoenix Stars] is a fairly new club and the girls started it in Alderbury after school, and every year it's just got bigger and bigger.

"Athletes have been training for the world championships for years, so we want to already celebrate our team getting to the top."