SIX baton twirlers from Trowbridge have been selected to represent the UK in the world championships.

Members of Trowbridge's Metallica Twirlers will be part of a 22-strong team called MnM, taking part in the event in Eindhoven, Holland, next month.

Coach Andy Bremner said: "They have worked really hard for this. They train every Friday and sometimes up to eight hours on a Saturday.

"It is something that England excels at although it doesn't have a high profile and a lot of people confuse it with majorettes, which is a totally different discipline."

The six twirlers will be part of the team taking part in the bannieres section of the competition.

Bannieres is a routine using flags and the team uses a total of around 100 in the display.

The youngest member of the twirlers squad to be picked for the world championship team is eleven-year-old Nicole Lomax, who is also a reserve for the solo event.

She is joined by 19-year-old Kayleigh Bremner and her 16-year-old sister, Kirsty, along with Stephanie Applegate and Sasha Smith, both 14 and Channon Brown, 13.

Mr Bremner started the Metalicca Twirlers in 2002 when his daughters, who had previously been members of Trowbridge Majorettes, decided they wanted to get involved in competition baton twirling.

The group now has 12 members and has been successful in regional and national competitions, taking nearly 400 top six awards in the last year alone.

Sport baton twirling is expensive and the group organises fundraising activities to help pay for batons, shoes, costumes and travel expenses.

Mr Bremner, a former army officer, said they would like to attract sponsorship but the minority nature makes it difficult to do so.

"People don't understand it or realise the hard work that goes in and how complicated it is to do."

Competitors aged from eight to 30 from countries including the USA, Canada, Japan and South Africa will be taking part in the 27th World Championships, to be held from April 12-16.

Factfile

  • Baton twirling was first used by a military marching band in the 18th century.
  • It originally involved men only because of the heavy metal batons used.
  • There are many baton twirling associations in different countries, all under the umbrella of the World lBaton Twirling Federation.

In England it is regulated by the National Baton Twirling Association.