A WEST Cumbrian cheerleading group returned home after winning an international contest in Florida.

Cheer Force Knights of Maryport have spent the past two weeks competing in major cheerleading competitions in the states.

The young girls and teens have been crowned world champions and are delighted with the achievement.

Olivia Scholey, a coach at Cheer Force Knights, Maryport, said: "It went really well, we never had any expectations of winning.

"The first competition that we were involved in, The Summit, we came sixth which was a separate competition to All-Star Worlds where we became World Champions.

Olivia described how ecstatic the group, their coaches, and their parents were with this achievement which has been truly life-changing for them. 

She continued: "It's just amazing, some of them are only eleven years old and the oldest is 16, so to be a World Champion at the age of eleven is amazing at such a young age.

"Florida was really good we did two days at the Disney resort and also visited Universal Studios and the water park. 

"It was nice to just be away from the cheer environment and spend time with the girls and have fun with them. 

"When we arrived back in Maryport there was a homecoming parade waiting for us, we didn't know anything about it but when we came back everyone was there I think one of the coaches had planned it. 

"As we were coming through Maryport there were people at Netherhall Corner and they'd just totally drowned the streets on the route to our training facility. 

"When we got to the centre that's where a lot of the families of our athletes, some of the coaches, and the younger athletes at the club were as well. 

"We've had a really good response from what we've done from people in the area, it's been really good and everyone's been very supportive."