CLIMBER Kitty Morrison became double British champion after scooping the u13 title at the 2014 British Lead Climbing Championship in Sheffield.

The 12-year-old, who hails from Newby and attends Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale, won the British Mountaineering Council-organised event at Awesome Walls.

The competition is the premier climbing event for all British sports climbers and is the culmination of what has been a very successful 12 months for Morrison.

In December last year she was selected for the junior GB lead climbing team and led to her being picked for team training in both UK and Austria.

In June she was returned to Austria and competed in the Youth Colours competition in Imst in what was her first International competition and the only one available for U13 age category.

She was the best placed GB climber and finished 14th.

In July she was in London for the final round of the British Bouldering Championships.

Her result in London meant that she won the Female U13 Championship.

The end of the summer saw her travelling to Exeter to compete in the UK’s first Deep Water Soloing competition.

She finished third out of a big field in the U16 category, being beaten by two of her older GB teammates but she became double British champion earlier this month.

"She trains three-four times each week and is grateful for the support she receives from all the local climbing walls, especially Inglesports Wall in Ingleton and Alan Steele who has set climbing routes and boulder problems to help her train," said said Duncan.

"Kitty has received some help with equipment and training costs from King Kong Climbing Walls, Inglesports and Kendal Round Table but if any other local businesses felt they were able to offer sponsorship Kitty would be very keen to speak to them."